THE National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) says it may take a week to clear debris created by the passage of Hurricane Sandy and bring its operations back to normal.

NSWMA Executive Director Jennifer Edwards is also calling on the public to cooperate with the garbage collectors in order to remove the debris as quickly as possible.

"We do not expect to do this exercise in one day, so we really think that in another seven days we should be able to return to normalcy," she said Thursday.

Meanwhile, the public is being asked to keep household garbage separate from hurricane debris. This is because compactor trucks are being used to take up household garbage and tipper trucks to collect hurricane debris.

Also persons are being asked to bury dead animals instead of placing them in the garbage.

Edwards also requested that tree limbs and cuttings not be placed on the roadside where they can impede traffic.

"We're asking citizens in gated communities to make their areas accessible so that the garbage can be collected, and that it not be placed where dogs can tear it up," she said.

She acknowledged that the NSWMA has a shortage of trucks, but said the agency was doing its best with limited resources.