NSWMA maintaining cleanliness push for St James
Published:Tuesday | May 14, 2024 | 12:09 AMChristopher Thomas/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
Despite experiencing an increase in community waste-collection backlog across St James since February, the National Solid Waste Management Authority [NSWMA] is expressing confidence in its drive to promote and enforce cleanliness initiatives across the parish. One such initiative is the just-launched MoBay STEP-UP programme.
Mark Jones, the public cleansing manager for the NSWMA’s Western Parks and Markets [WPM], made the declaration while presenting the entity’s monthly report at last Thursday’s monthly meeting of the St James Municipal Corporation [StJMC], where he revealed that the parish had 66 communities in backlog for waste collection during April.
“We have a chart that would have indicated the backlog from February to April. During the month of April, we had 66 communities in backlog, compared to February, where we had 55, and in March, it was 57. During this period, we had Operation Sweep from Kingston, a team from the executive director’s office, and they sent us six trucks to assist with St James,” Jones outlined.
“The team worked in St James on April 19 and 20, removing 16 loads of solid waste from communities in Edmond Ridge, Spot Valley, Rosevale, Rhyne Park, Flower Hill, Salt Spring, Glendevon, Paradise Heights, and Coral Gardens.,” Jones added. “As to enforcement operations during April, the enforcement team served 65 litter tickets within the parish, and they also issued 11 removal notices to commercial establishments.”
St James has had a recurring history of poor waste management to include improper garbage disposal and complaints of inadequate collection, with garbage pile-ups often being blamed for the parish’s rodent infestation and flooding due to clogged drains.
Notably, the backlog of communities for waste collection appears to have shifted up and down in recent years, with St James recording a staggering 76 communities in backlog during September 2022 compared to 42 communities in August that same year. In 2023, the number of backlog communities was recorded at 48 in August, then rose to 54 in September, and 55 in November before dropping to 42 in December and then increasing again to 55 by February this year.
Jones told the meeting that the NSWMA is maintaining its thrust to implement strategies for proper waste disposal and collection in St James and gave special praise to the StJMC for its MoBay STEP-UP programme, which began work on April 14.
“We continue our focus on implementing innovative strategies to optimise waste collection, improve waste-separation initiatives, and engage the residents to raise awareness about responsible waste-disposal practices. As to MoBay STEP-UP, the WPM expresses commendations to the Mayor of Montego Bay, Councillor Richard Vernon, for spearheading the transformation of the Water Lane dump site into a beautification project,” said Jones. “It was our pleasure in collaborating with you, sir, and we look forward to future projects of this nature as we join hands and hearts to keep St James clean.”
The MoBay STEP-UP initiative, which had its official media launch on Friday, had got under way weeks prior with a mission to clear illegal dump sites in the parish. This included the removal of a garbage skip in the vicinity of Dome Street in downtown Montego Bay.
STEP-UP, the acronym for Striving Towards Environmental Protection and Urban Preservation, is a multi-agency initiative geared at managing solid waste and tackling illegal dump sites, repairing damaged infrastructure, registering unlicensed businesses, and addressing other issues affecting Montego Bay.