NEGRIL, Westmoreland — Buoyed by the addition of two pick-up trucks to its fleet at Western Parks and Markets (WPM), National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) executive director Audley Gordon, has warned that the authority will be moving to prosecute persons who breach the Anti-Litter Act.

“We are now on the road. Let the news go out that we now not only have enforcement officers in our WPM region, but they are now mobile, and they will be coming. They will be out on the road. They will be looking out for infractions. They will be writing tickets. They will be prosecuting, and people who are hell-bent on ‘duttying up’ Jamaica must know, that we are now coming at you. We are now equipped to do so, and we will be kind, we will be gentle, but be firm,” said Gordon.

“We are not going to tolerate illegal dumping. We are not going to tolerate people who just come out and throw garbage wherever they feel.”

The NSWMA executive director who was speaking at a recent function in the resort town of Negril to mark the inaugural patrol of the WPM team, disclosed that the authority had received two Toyota pick-up trucks—funded by the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) — that will be used to assist the authority’s enforcement team in its work across sections of western Jamaica.

Gordon, in expressing gratitude to the TEF, noted that it was because his company has had challenges with enforcement, that it decided to reach out to the TEF for assistance.

“It is no secret that we have had some challenges enforcing the various infractions that happen in solid waste management. We have had that, and we reached out to the TPDCo (Tourism Product Development Company) through the Tourism Enhancement Fund, and they have so kindly assisted with two brand-new Toyota pick-ups,” he explained, adding that the TEF has promised to fund two more such vehicles.

He stressed that the donation will allow the mobile team from WPM to be out on the road to prosecute where infractions are observed.

Gordon also disclosed that the new Anti-Litter Act which is before Parliament will empower the NSWMA in its enforcement drive.

“We also have coming, some regulations. So, those people who are anxious for us to be more robust in our enforcement strategy, the regulation to empower us is near completion now, and, we are looking at months, not years,” he told the gathering.

He noted that the regulations will allow, for example, for the NSWMA to demand proof from commercial entities, that they have “proper garbage removal in place among other things”.

He explained that under the new law, fines will be far more than is currently obtained at present, arguing that the increased fines are expected to provide “the deterrent effect to law breakers.”

The recent inaugural patrol launch was attended by Mayor of Savanna-la-Mar Bertel Moore, NSWMA regional operations manager Garnet Edmondson and a team from the NSWMA that also participated in an enforcement operation within the resort town of Negril, aimed at targeting business operators who have failed to comply with Public Health standards.

“What you are witnessing is the inaugural patrol; the first patrol under this programme in the partnership between TEF and the NSWMA starting right here in Negril where there are several illegal dump sites,” said Gordon.

The authority also undertook a general clean-up of abandoned lots in the resort town, which was done in partnership with the TEF.