Collect our garbage!

A STENCH of weeks of uncollected garbage hangs over the heads of Dunbeholden community members in Portmore, St Catherine.

Residents claim that garbage is left to pile up at the gates of homes lined across the various roads and avenues in the area’s underdeveloped communities for up to six weeks at a time.

“For months dem nuh come!” one resident said.

“How long them tek fi come and when dem come dem ever full and bruk dung,” she added.

Shadisha Gordon, a resident in the area, told The Gleaner on Tuesday that residents are now frustrated by the lack of collection by the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) which has left the area feeling underserved.

Another resident explained that there are flies lingering around and they have become a nuisance to residents and shopkeepers.

“We waiting on the truck to come,” she said, while pointing to a bag of rubbish situated outside of a nearby shop as evidence.

Despite the collection issues, residents have maintained a clean and litter-free environment.

MECHANICAL ISSUES

Aretha McFarlane, director of operations at the NSWMA, told The Gleaner that a truck was scheduled to collect garbage in the area on Tuesday but had to be called back because of the unit suffering from mechanical issues.

The last time the Dunbeholden area had been visited by the NSWMA team was January 26, nearing three weeks.

McFarlane explained that the company tried to regulate the visits by collecting twice per month but sometimes have been unsuccessful in doing so when unforeseen circumstances like what occurred on Tuesday happen.

“We don’t have the best of units ... [but] we do respond,” she affirmed.

As the agency continues to battle a shortage of garbage collection units, McFarlane explained that this has taken a toll on the economic life span of trucks, which should last up to 10 to 12 years, because the remaining units are overworked in trying to meet the needs of many other areas in desperate need of collection.

Nowadays, said McFarlane, the trucks last a mere five to eight years and are very expensive to service, especially considering the brand of the truck being used.

Nonetheless, McFarlane assures members of the public that the agency is working assiduously to collect the build-up that some areas may be facing.

asha.wilks@gleanerjm.com