Residents of several city wards are dissatisfied with the garbage collection services being provided by the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC) and Mayor Patricia Chase-Green has suggested that City Hall consider rehiring the private firms that had been responsible for disposal.
About a month ago, the municipality assumed responsibility from the two major private firms for garbage collection in Alberttown, Queenstown, Cummingsburg, Kingston, East Ruimveldt, North and East La Penitence, Lamaha Springs and Lamaha Park, and North and South Ruimveldt, and the main commercial districts.
But many of the residents are dissatisfied with the M&CC’s service and particularly its weekly collection schedule. They are calling for the resumption of twice weekly collections, which they say would curb garbage pile ups. The collection in the central business district was also reduced to once per day as opposed to twice daily, when the private companies were in charge of the collection.
Mayor Patricia Chase-Green, during last Tuesday’s statutory council meeting, suggested the city consider re-hiring the firms, from which the city pulled several contracts due to its indebtedness.
Efforts made by Stabroek News to contact Town Clerk Royston King for a comment on the mayor’s recommendation proved futile.
After the first week of the M&CC assuming responsibility for collection, City Hall spokesperson Debra Lewis told this newspaper that the city was working to iron out the problems that arose.
Residents from the different wards who spoke with Stabroek News called for the M&CC to return to the twice weekly schedule.
Several businesses within the wards also said that because of the once a week schedule, they have to find alternative means of disposing their garbage.
According to Aubrey Denny, a resident of Kingston, garbage is collected every Friday but at an unspecified time of the day. He also stressed that in some cases the garbage would be left. “Some days you miss them because you don’t know which day they would come and the garbage would pile up. When it piles up, the dogs would come [and] try to get in the bins,” he said.
Donna (only name given), a shop owner in Kingston, also expressed similar sentiments. “It is not working… I does have to load up a car and take the garbage till to Bourda Market,” she said.
She along with Denny called for the M&CC to return to the twice weekly collection schedule.
Meanwhile, in Alberttown, workers of the Frenzy Hangout bar said they too have to find alternative means of disposing their garbage after the scheduled pick up. They noted that because of the type of business they operate, there is always an accumulation. “We have four big bins but we have to always keep the place clean… it is a food business and keeping garbage around would not be healthy… the once-a-week pick up is not working,” said Annette, an employee.
Over in Queenstown, Miss Cato (only name given), an employee of the Federal Management System’s bakery said because of the magnitude of business, the once a week collection schedule does not cater for the high volume of garbage that is produced.
Cato said while the schedule works for residents, businesses in the area suffer and would have to call private companies to collect their garbage.
Residents in North East La Penitence also shared similar views. They told Stabroek News that they are not happy with the new collection services and called on City Hall to return with a twice weekly pick up.
Stabroek News, during a drive around the wards, did not observe any large pile ups of garbage.
