Garbage contractors Puran Brothers Disposal Inc. and Cevons Waste Management Inc. are likely to resume their collection services for the city before the end of the year, Mayor and City Council (M&CC) Solid Waste Director Walter Narine said yesterday.
Narine told reporters that once the payment is made to the contractors by central government, they would be able to recommence garbage collection in the city, albeit on new terms.
The M&CC had approached the Central Government through the Ministry of Communities for a bail out of $475,635,245 to settle the city’s debt to both Puran Brothers and Cevons, and another company, Dartmouth Skips Rental.
Narine yesterday said that the two companies “will not come back with the luxury they had [before their withdrawal]. They both had five groups each. But going forward we are looking at splitting up the constituency’s clearance and in that, all of the contractors get a bite.”
In August, the city said it viewed plans by the Puran Brothers and Cevons to withdraw their services over the arrears as a termination of their contracts, based on the fact that there was no provision in their respective agreements for the suspension of services. The companies had previously suspended their services over the city’s failure to honour its financial obligations.
Narine yesterday said that the city would be in charge of collecting garbage from the municipal markets, and high producing areas, including the commercial district.
“The city would be in charge of four constituencies and the contractors would all have two [constituencies] each,” he explained, while noting that the areas would be spilt among Puran Brothers, Cevons, Grandison Waste and SanDip Waste Disposal.
The projected cost of the new arrangement is pegged at some $10 million per month as opposed to $43 million when Puran Brothers and Cevons were contracted for collection.
Additionally, although the council contracted three smaller waste disposal companies to assist with garbage collection, there continue to be complaints by residents of delayed collection.
The contracting companies are expected to meet today to discuss a new garbage schedule, Narine said.
In addition, Narine stated that two of the four garbage collection trucks have resumed operations and they are working to have the two others repaired.
He added that the parts for the trucks have to be sourced overseas and they have already made an order to the local distributor. The parts are expected to arrive in the country in six to eight days.
