Contractors blame non-collection of garbage on habitual late payments of City Hall

Jan 22, 2026 News

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(Kaieteur News) – Waste collection contractors are laying blame at the feet of the Georgetown Mayor and City Council, alleging that late payments is among the chief reasons the city garbage waste is not being collected on time.

At a meeting with Minister of local Government and Regional Development, Priya Manickchand, the service providers outlined several challenges, including claims that they have not been paid for months, despite funds being available at the city council.

The engagement comes days after a planned meeting between local government officials was boycotted by City Mayor, Alfred Mentore and APNU councilors.

Mayor Mentore had taken to his official Facebook page on Sunday to express his dissatisfaction on the state of the city despite the government’s sanitation efforts. He reported that garbage collection had not been up to date in several wards of the city leaving the areas reeking of filth.

Mentore said that while he is on board with those efforts, he believes the government is undermining the council’s capacity to function effectively by obstructing its ability to collect taxes, levy fines, and enforce litter and sanitation laws.

Further, the mayor clarified the decisions to hire or dismiss waste collection contractors fall within the collective processes of the council.

“It is also worth noting that all contractors currently engaged by the council to assist with solid waste management are, in one form or another, affiliated or connected to the incumbent central government administration. I sincerely hope that the perceived inefficiencies in service delivery are not deliberate or designed to embarrass the Georgetown Mayor and City Council.”

However, the contractors have denied the allegations, saying only that the M&CC needs to pay their bills on time.

Timothy Tucker of Sandip Waste Management said “We don’t play politics. We are businessmen; we are here to provide a service based on the contract that we signed.”

He explained “If the city hall pays their bills on time and they pay for the parapet waste and bulky waste to be cleared then the city will be a lot cleaner. They know the problem and they know the solution for the city to be a lot cleaner.”

Lester Kellman of Guyana Waste Solutions refuted allegations that there is an attempt to sabotage the city cleanup efforts.

He said “We bid for the contract; we won the bid to carry out the service. Yes, there are challenges. We don’t know any sabotaging…any sabotaging may be coming from the council because we are not usually paid on time…Sometimes it would be four months five before we are paid when the mayor made that statement it very disturbing.”

Kalishwar Puran of Puran Brothers Waste management said that the company does not play political games.

“We take our work very seriously,” he asserted while a representative Cevon’s Waste Management clarified that their company was never politically aligned as they were contracted under different administrations.

On Monday, Minister of Local Government Priya Manickchand vowed that the government will continue its efforts to clean and upgrade Georgetown despite the lack of cooperation from the opposition-controlled Mayor and City Council.

During a press briefing hosted at the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development in Kingston, Georgetown, Manickchand accused Mentore of flip-flopping on crucial issues affecting the citizens of Georgetown.

The minister explained that Mentore has expressed interest in working with the ministry on various plans to improve the cleanliness and sanitisation efforts throughout the city, his actions differ.

Manickchand told reporters that she was “stunned” by the mayor’s comments. She described the statements as” completely opposite to what happened.”  She noted that contradictions often arise between the mayor’s off-camera positions and his public statements, particularly on sanitation and vendor issues.

“He said it has nothing to do with garbage trucks. He didn’t ask me for more trucks. Then to see a post saying the only reason they can’t clean the city is lack of resources is the opposite of what he said,” Manickchand asserted.

Nevertheless, she said the government will take decisive, comprehensive action and work with citizens to address sanitation issues in Georgetown.

“What we intend to do is to consult, hear the citizens and the residents and users of Georgetown and determine how central government can help the city of Georgetown get rescued. How we could restore the city of Georgetown without people whose only jobs seem to be is to stand in the way of that…”

The minister noted that central government already handles road works, drainage, beautification and maintenance in Georgetown, leaving the city council primarily responsible for garbage collection.

She asserted “Any roads you see in the city of Georgetown that were built or maintained were done by the Ministry of Public Works not by the M&CC. Any drainage that you see that was desilted, the primary drains are done by NDIA – the primary drains are the large drains that lead out to pump stations and kokers, that desilting has been done and maintained by the national drainage and irrigation authority, it has not been done by the city council. Tertiary drains under your bridge, the smaller drains have been done by the Ministry of Public Works, and again, central government.”

Manickchand said the continued absence of collaboration means the government will now act independently to restore the capital. “Your government understands this cannot go on. We are going to take action that will see Georgetown rescued,” Manickchand said.

 

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• City Hall, contractors, garbage, late payments, Waste collection

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