With only 22 per cent of the $8.2 billion needed to adequately collect and dispose of the island’s garbage budgeted this year, the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) has said that it will have to significantly cut its already limping service to the public this year.

“Based on the approved budget, it has been very, very challenging to do the things which have been outlined in our report,” NSWMA executive director, Jennifer Edwards, told Parliament’s Public Administration and Appropriations Committee (PAAC) last week.

She told Opposition member, Mike Henry, that although the agency sought a budget of $8.2 billion to finance its operations, it only received $1.8 billion in the 2013/14 estimates to dispose of solid waste and approximately $400 million for housekeeping.

She said that in order to survive on its current budget, the agency will have to make significant spending cuts, further limiting its service through its four collection agencies: Metropolitan Parks and Markets (MPM) which covers Kingston, St Andrew, St Catherine and St Thomas; Southern Parks and Markets (SPM) – Clarendon, Manchester and St Elizabeth; Western Parks and Markets (WPM) – St James, Hanover, Trelawny and Westmoreland; and North Eastern Parks and Markets (NEPM) – St Ann, St Mary and Portland.

The situation will also affect its ability to ability to meet the environmental requirements of the National Environmental Planning Agency (NEPA).

According to a report submitted to the committee by the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development, under which the NSWMA falls, specific areas which will be affected, to include: maintenance of vehicles and equipment; fuel and other costs associated with its garbage collection units; providing covering materials and safety equipment and gears for workers at the majority of disposal sites; and for critical infrastructure, including sanitation, light, water and shelter at the disposal sites; as well as rain coats, brooms and shovels for street sweepers.

The NSWMA’s ability to keep up a consistent, regular schedule of garbage collection, or to remove numerous illegal dump sites being created along main roads due to the lack of proper collection, will be reduced.

The agency has only 55 of its own vehicles functional, plus approximately 80 contracted vehicles, doing the work of the 278 vehicles needed to do the two trips per day to which NSWMA is currently committed, to maintain some semblance consistent, regular collection and disposal of garbage.

Edwards explained that the NSWMA is funded from two distinct sources – the Ministry of Finance and Planning, which provides funding for salaries and administrative costs, and the Parochial Revenue Fund (PRF), financed by specific taxation including motor vehicle licence and Property Tax, which provides funds for garbage collection and disposal through the Parochial Revenue Fund.

She said that the NSWMA has decided to approach the issue from two different perspectives: seeking to increase its own revenues from own sources, primarily the collection of commercial waste, which has brought in some $300 million to pay for fuel and some maintenance and collection; and cutting its expenditure.

“We have looked at cost saving measures. So, where we used to purchase approximately 2,500 tyres per year for the units that we have, at $40,000 per tyre, we have decided to work with (Jamaica) Ultimate Tyre (Company), in an experimental and pilot way, to recap the tyres and to see how that would work,” she gave as an example of current spending cuts. She said that this has resulted in savings of approximately $17,000 per tyre.

Edwards also told Government MP, Mikael Phillips, that the Cabinet recently approved an additional $40 million for its budget, which is to be used to repair 23 disabled trucks that she hopes to add to the NSWMA’s functioning fleet of 55.

With the agency currently using less than 140 trucks, including the 80 contracted vehicles which charges $15,000 for each of their two daily trips, this would only increase the fleet to close to 160 trucks, which would still be 118 trucks short of the required 278 vehicles needed to do waste collection and disposal, efficiently.