New Amsterdam M&TC grappling with waste disposal crisis

May 16, 2026 News

…no landfill site, delayed collections frustrate residents

(Kaieteur News) – The Mayor and Town Council (M&TC) of New Amsterdam is facing mounting challenges that are severely affecting its waste management operations, with the municipality currently operating without a landfill site of its own.

With the situation stymieing the efforts of the council, Mayor of New Amsterdam, Wainwright McIntosh took to social media on Friday to weigh in on what he said is a distress to the municipality.

“I would’ve received complaints from residents in relation to their bins not being serviced in over a month…. these are all challenges.”

“So currently, there is no landfill site in the town of New Amsterdam. We were advised to utilise the landfill site at Rose Hall town, Corentyne,” the mayor explained.

New Amsterdam M&TC grappling with waste disposal crisis

Mayor of New Amsterdam, Wainwright McIntosh

While that was a welcomed alternative, it is not without hassles. For instance, the distance from New Amsterdam to Rose Hall, and the traffic encumbrances along the route cause many delays, the mayor stressed. There is also the consideration of fuel consumption, which will depend on the municipal coffers. These factors are solely responsible for inconsistencies with the council’s garbage collection schedule.

“Citizens would have noticed that the garbage collection schedule is a bit off….and the reason for that shift in schedule – we’re unable to stick with the proposed schedule for garbage collection throughout the town – is as a result of the distance and time to deposit both commercial and residential waste all the way to the Corentyne corridor,” McIntosh explained in his social media address.

He called on residents to exercise patience as solutions are being crafted in conjunction with the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development. Citizens are also cautioned against indiscriminately disposing their waste.

The Esplanade Park site was in operation for several decades, providing large-scale garbage disposal convenience for residents in and around New Amsterdam. Subsequent to its closure, the council made arrangements for the use of the Belle Vue site, located on the East Bank Berbice. This was met with pushback by residents of that area, and blockages were set up to prevent access. Shortly after, the site operation was halted.

The municipality is now left scampering for timely solutions as some citizens are faced with overflowing bins.

The worrying situation runs counterproductive to the municipality’s recent acquisition of a new garbage truck. Currently, the M&TC retains four garbage trucks in its fleet.

Back in February, McIntosh had disclosed that the municipal body was in formal talks with the local government ministry to have a new location for a landfill site. So far, no area was identified. This was confirmed to this publication by McIntosh on Friday.

Meanwhile, the mayor disclosed that the annual government subvention provided through the Local Government Ministry is yet to reach the council’s treasury, even though the national budget was already approved in the national assembly nearly three months ago. The council relies on that financial allocation for its capital work.

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M&TC, New Amsterdam, Wainwright McIntosh, waste disposal

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