Deputy Mayor Patricia Chase-Green on Friday said that the Mayor and City Council is aware of the present garbage situation in the city and that although the council is responsible for the removal of garbage, there are several impediments including a shortage of trucks.
“We are aware of the garbage problems and the council is the person responsible for collecting the garbage,
but we have not been able to fulfil our mandate in removing garbage in a timely manner for more than one reason…We don’t have enough trucks and there is also some mechanical problem ever so often.”
She was at the time addressing members of the media who were taken on a tour of the Stabroek, Bourda and Kitty markets to bring the public up to date on the current status of certain municipal services and how citizens can help advance the well-being of the city.
Chase-Green said that the council is incapable of cleaning up the city because the vehicles that they have are not always out in full force, but at the same time persons must also take the responsibility for putting together their garbage. “If we have four vehicles, at no time do we have all four on the road. We have the responsibility to move it, but you have the responsibility to put it together. You must have a bin, and we will come and pick up the bin. But what you see happening now, is that we have to come and clean and pack up and carry away, and that shouldn’t be.”
According to the Deputy Mayor, they have a problem with the termination of contracts of those contractors who are responsible for removing garbage at the various markets. Earlier this week, a lawyer’s letter was sent to Morris Archer, the contractor for Cevon’s Waste Management advising him that his services will no longer be required. Archer had said that Dartmouth Skips Rental is responsible for dealing with the waste management at Bourda and Stabroek, but acting Town Clerk Carol Sooba said that the services being provided were subpar.
Archer said that city council workers are supposed to bring the waste from within Stabroek market and the surrounding areas from in front of the fire service and in front of the market, as defined by the contract. “Another contractor is responsible for the day-to-day collection of the entire area from Ministry of Labour to KFC by the market. We compact it and carry it away. The town clerk is now saying that we are supposed to go and clean in front of those areas and bring the waste to the compactor. We are saying that is not a problem, but we will have to have some negotiations.”
Archer said that the compactor at Stabroek Market has a capacity to hold 32 tonnes, and that it is emptied twice per day. “On an average it has a capacity for 64 tonnes and what we find happening in this market is that we have a lot of packages. Going to the dump we have about 29 tonnes.”
Chase-Green added that there is a lot of garbage around the city, but at the same time the council has orderlies who are supposed to pick it up and take it over to the Cevon’s compactor. “It is either there is not enough manpower or lack of supervision. Myself and other councilors will have a discussion with the solid waste management so that his persons who are out here are properly supervised. We also have to ensure that the vendors have garbage bags to put their garbage in,” she said.
