NSWMA to tackle garbage backlog
Published:Monday | March 9, 2026 | 12:06 AM
Minister of Local Government and Community Development Desmond McKenzie says the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) is working to clear a backlog of garbage across the country, amounting to 218 truckloads.
“It is the intention of the organisation to work assiduously to reduce the backlog,” McKenzie declared during a meeting of the Standing Finance Committee of Parliament on Friday.
Natalie Neita Garvey, opposition spokesperson on local government, complained that most communities across the country have been struggling with a garbage problem owing to infrequent visits by the cleansing agency.
She expressed concern that there were cuts in the ministry’s budget, particularly in the area of garbage collection.
However, McKenzie said the agency had in fact received an increase in allocation, noting that resources had been provided to the NSWMA.
But when pressed whether the money allocated to the NSWMA was sufficient for the agency to effectively carry out its task, McKenzie conceded that it was not adequate.
The local government minister pointed out that the NSWMA had to play a key role in clearing garbage in the wake of Hurricane Melissa.
However, Julian Robinson, member of parliament (MP) for St Andrew South East, brushed aside any suggestion that the buildup in garbage collection was the result of Hurricane Melissa.
“It can’t be that, as a MP, two, three times a week mi haffi contact NSWMA to collect garbage,” Robinson said, noting that every section of his constituency has been affected by the non-collection of refuse for weeks.
“It has become the biggest issue right now that every MP faces – garbage collection.”
Admitting that garbage collection was a major problem, McKenzie said Jamaicans must also take “personal responsibility” in how they dispose of their garbage.
MPs urged the minister to establish, through the NSWMA, a schedule for collecting garbage in communities.
“If we can’t keep our communities clean, our people won’t be able to lift their spirits and their attitude, because your surroundings affect how you behave,” Neita Garvey said.
In a related matter, McKenzie dismissed claims that the NSWMA owed money to contractors.