Residents of Port Kaituma are furious over the poor garbage collection service offered by the Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC).
Residents told Stabroek News that it has been close to four days since their garbage was last collected.
However, NDC Chairman Orlando Thorne, explained that the non-collection of garbage over the past few days resulted from the long holiday weekend and the tractor operator being on medical leave. While this is the explanation offered by the community leader, residents said the tractor has been non-functioning due to a mechanical issue.
Within central Port Kaituma, piles of garbage have accumulated around the area. Barrels of garbage were piled up in the compound of the police station.
Residents who spoke with this newspaper on anonymity, relayed that the issue of poor garbage collection is nothing new to the community.
“You tell me how one truck can service this entire community? When it doesn’t break down, someone sick; it is always an excuse. They tell you to keep the garbage in your home until they come. They take how long to come and then the garbage starts to smell and we have to suffer with the scent at home,” a resident who vends in central Port Kaituma said.
Another resident who operates a restaurant through “The Crack”, said she had piles of garbage waiting to be collected. She too stressed that they have to wait on the garbage truck to pass through the community to collect garbage.
“We have a restaurant here, we sell food and it is not sanitary for us to be having piles of garbage here,” she said, while outlining that scraps from meat and other consumables make up her bulk of refuse.
“I haven’t seen the garbage truck pass around for a few days, I don’t know if something is wrong,” another resident stated.
The woman, who vends at night, said she would normally visit the “Catwalk”, an area where they would dump garbage, to dispose of her waste.
Thorne, however, said that the NDC has been working to address the garbage situation. He did not say when they will resume garbage collection.
Nonetheless, the Chairman pointed out that they are also exploring the possibility of hiring a second tractor operator to fill in, in the absence of the current driver.
Residents said they are hoping the NDC can resume operations soon to relieve them of the waste that is building up.
