City waste disposal service irregular - King

City waste disposal service irregular – King

Apr 05, 2011 News

– contractors turnaround time cited as main cause

Waste disposable schedules have been irregular for more than a week now in some sections of the city, a problem which has occurred due to the increased distance that waste disposal contractors are now forced to cover to reach the new landfill site at Haags Bosch.
This disclosure was made yesterday by Royston King of the Georgetown municipality. He explained that from all indications the extra distance which the contractors have to haul the waste, compounded by traffic congestion, has been the underlying factor that has been hampering normal collection.
Among the areas that have been affected are sections of North Ruimveldt, South Ruimveldt and Campbellville, King said.
He pointed out that “the whole collection rhythm has been affected and this is coupled with the problem of indiscriminate dumping…This action by a few is having a negative impact on the health of citizens and the general aesthetic of the city.”
Of recent, King said that the Council has received reports that some persons have been dumping waste of various forms in the vicinity of St Phillip’s Green which has simply been serving to clog the parapets and drains.
Addressing this development, according to King, is evidently affecting other municipal services as the City Council has to re-direct some of its already scarce resources. He noted that the municipality has observed that persons continue to litter in alleyways and on parapets.
He wants them to exercise patience and understanding as efforts are made to regain consistency in disposal. “Dealing with this is preventing Council from providing other core services…However we are working tirelessly to restore the efficiency which once characterised collection and disposal of the city’s waste.”
However, he noted that there is need for citizens support if the Council’s efforts are to yield the desired results.
In the meantime, though, King said that the Solid Waste Department is currently in the process of doing a comprehensive proposal in order to deal with this aspect of the municipal responsibility.
Also, the Council is examining alternative ways of disposal of waste such as mulching, composting and the use of organic waste as animal feed. “Alternative disposing will add value to the natural environment and even reduce the tipping fee council would usually have to pay at the landfill site and even help to extend the life of the landfill site.”
It was just last month that City Mayor Hamilton Green revealed that the contractors were concerned about the turnaround time with the relocation of the landfill site. The contractors, he said, had revealed that they are expending more time to dispose of waste than they had anticipated and have therefore asked for an increase in fees.
“This is now being examined and it is a reasonable request. We have already written the Government through the Ministry of Local Government to assist because the municipality cannot afford to pay this increase right now.”
Minister Kellawan Lall had revealed last week that the matter had come to his attention and was being considered.
The municipality was at the time indebted to contractors: including Cevon’s Waste Management and Puran Brothers Disposal Service for the last two months of last year. The debt had amounted to in excess of $85M.
“They are getting itchy at the moment,” the City Mayor had disclosed.