By Telesha Ramnarine
Residents in Georgetown have been enduring persistent issues with garbage collection and disposal.
Each week, they place their waste barrels on the streets for collection, only to find that their trash is not picked up for days or weeks.
Meanwhile, parapets throughout the city are cluttered with refuse, and illegal dumping sites continue to increase, exacerbating the problem.
Despite the Mayor and City Council’s frequent complaints about being underfunded, the situation has become highly politicised, leaving residents to bear the brunt of the crisis.
Steven Jacobs, a PPP/C Councillor for Constituency Two, which includes the Subryanville/Kitty areas, has criticised the City Council’s handling of the garbage situation, attributing the problems to the council’s long-standing leadership by the PNC-led APNU over the past 50 years.
PPP/C Councillor, Steven Jacobs
To help the situation, Jacobs noted that at the most recent statutory meeting, approval was given for the purchase of a new garbage truck, a dump truck, and several skip bins.
These will be funded through government subvention and are expected to be operational by the end of the year.
Furthermore, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is training litter wardens and even some Council administrators who can help to curb the problem of littering across the City.
A suggestion was also made, according to Jacobs, regarding the timing of the Haags Bosch Landfill Site to allow for contractors to also be able to use the facility at nights.
Meanwhile, Heston Bostwick, former APNU Councillor, and current Manager of Constituency 10, which takes in the Albouystown/Charlestown areas, believes that there is no comprehensive plan for maintenance in place.
Heston Bostwick, Manager – Constituency 10
In an interview at the News Room, he said while many residents are disgruntled about the manner in which garbage is being collected, they have become used to the problem and simply sit back and wait for whichever day the collectors will come.
Beginning Friday, workers under the Community Infrastructure Improvement Programme of the Ministry of Local Government, will begin with the clearing of clogged drains and overgrown bushes in the vicinity of Garnett and De Abreu Streets.
The Ministry of Public Works and the Guyana Water Inc. were also engaged to play their part in the exercise
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