The Mayor and City Council (M&CC) on Monday said it is working to restore efficiency to the city’s garbage collection system, after reports that some communities have been neglected. In a statement, the M&CC said the extra distance which the collection contractors have to traverse from the city to the new Haags Bosch facility and traffic congestion are among the reasons for situation. The “turnaround time,” it added, is affecting the normal rhythm of collection in Georgetown.
“This is posing a serious problem to residents and the health of neighbourhoods,” it further said, while noting that the situation has seen the indiscriminate disposal of garbage on parapets and along the sides of the road. This in turn is forcing the M&CC to redirect its limited resources to dealing with litter and parapet waste.
The M&CC said it is working to restore an efficient collection of the city’s waste and the Council is also examining alternative disposal options, including mulching, composting and using organic waste for animal food. The Solid Waste Management Department is currently developing a comprehensive proposal in this vein. In the interim, the M&CC is asking citizens to exercise patience.
Some city residents have complained that with the opening of the Haags Bosch facility their garbage is no longer being collected on time. Residents of certain wards in the city, particularly in the North and South Ruimveldt areas reported that on their garbage collection day, they often no longer see the truck. Because they are not sure when the truck will turn up, they are forced to leave their bins outside overnight, sometimes for a few days. When this happens, stray dogs and “junkies” (drug addicts) upturn the bins or take stuff out leaving an untidy mess behind, which residents are then forced to clean up.
