MONTEGO BAY, St James – A special committee is to be set up in Montego Bay to deal with the resort city’s chronic problem of improper garbage disposal.

The committee, which will comprise representatives from various civic and commercial organisations, is to be spearheaded by the St James Parish Council and will be mandated to clean up the city.

According to chairman of the parish council’s civic and community affairs committee, Richard Solomone, the problem will only be solved if everyone works together.

“I think the whole situation of the pile-up of garbage in and around Montego Bay has gone beyond the point of just the St James Parish Council being responsible… I think this is a matter that all of us in Montego Bay should be concerned about and seek to do something about it now,” Solomone said.

A consensus had been reached, he added, which would see the entire town being cleaned on a phased basis.

Councillor Horace Lawrence, who was instrumental in the formation of the committee, said that a number of groups would be brought on-board to make the grouping effective.

“Target groups would include the National Solid Waste (Management Authority), the Public Health Department, the St James Fire Brigade, the Tourism Product Development Company, the Rapid Response Unit, the National Works Agency, the police, the National Water Commission, the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce, the Inbond Merchants Association, the Western Mirror and the commercial sector,” he said.

He also pointed out that after the committee was up and running, a six month-long education campaign would be undertaken during which citizens would be sensitised to the programme and encouraged to play their part.

At the same time, he expressed the hope that corporate Montego Bay would agree to fund the clean-up campaign, thus guaranteeing its sustainability.