Poor solid waste disposal practices, especially of old furniture and appliances are now haunting the residents of August Town, St Andrew, who complain of dire health effects from the burning junk in the community.

During a visit to sections of the community recently, old furniture and appliances, among piles of plastic bottles and other garbage were seen strewn along sections of the Hope River that snakes through the community.

In African Gardens, residents told the Jamaica Observer that the perennial burning of tires, old refrigerators, microwaves, and other solid waste material which have piled up in the community, is starting to negatively affect their health.

The residents described heart palpitations, a nose burning sensation and vomiting as side effects to the inhalation of smoke from fires set ablaze in the community.

“This is a second Riverton City,” was the cry of Sharon Palmer, a resident from African Gardens.

“Di people dem inna di community burn dead animal, dem burn rubber tire, dem burn microwave, dem burn computer, printers, bath tub; anyting dat you can tink of inside di house dem burn it,” said Palmer.

The woman said that usually under the dark of night, old tires are set ablaze by persons in the community whose livelihood it is to sell copper inside. But the inhalation of what she described as “black smoke” coming from this blaze comes with scary side effects.

“When dem burn dem tings deh mi nose burn mi, mi heart start race and sometimes it cause vomiting. Them hide and burn it inna di night when people a try sleep. Inna night mi haffi a walk and a look fi di fire fi out it, or sometimes mi haffi leave mi own community and go Liguanea go siddung fi avoid inhaling di smoke,” Palmer lamented.

Also the mother of a teenage daughter whose health has been impacted, Palmer said that regular trips to the hospital for her daughter’s constant coughing and vomiting whenever a fire is lit is becoming a burden.

“Recently mi daughter sick bad, pure vomiting so till she haffi stop from school some days. Right now mi have a whole heap a prescription and mi cyah afford fi buy everything pon it,” Palmer said

“This is a public nuisance and nobody cares,” she added.

In a bid to expose these practices, the resident said that she called the Ministry of Health & Wellness and that a representative visited the community and warned residents that the burning of tires and old appliances was dangerous.

“The person from the ministry gave me some flyers and say to put dem up. The Ministry of Health person also told us dat di smoke from burning can cause cancer and when mi carry dem go show dem where people burn microwave and those things, them say it is dangerous to burn these things,” said Palmer.

Efforts to reach the Ministry of Health & Wellness were unsuccessful. However, in recent times, the National Solid Waste Management Authority, (NSWMA) has issued statements explaining that there was a shortage of trucks to pick up garbage that had started to pile up throughout the Corporate Area, especially during the Christmas season.

In August, the residents who spoke with the Sunday Observer said that NSWMA trucks had in fact come to the community on several occasions to collect garbage, but said that old appliances were usually left behind.

“I’m not going to lie and say the garbage truck don’t come because they do come. But they don’t take up everyting. And when you ask dem, dem say you have to pay dem to pick up those things,” said one resident.

The resident continued: “The people them burn the old appliances all over the place, especially a night time when we can’t even escape it and it affect us so much. Nuff time mi haffi guh doctor because a di smoke,” said the resident who chose not to give her name.

However, Marlon Malvo, also a resident of African Gardens, corroborated his neighbour’s report that while a garbage truck comes to the community on a regular basis, old appliances and garbage that for a long time has piled on the river bank, is not collected.

“I wouldn’t say it is because of garbage trucks not picking up the garbage because at times I have seen garbage disposal personnel in the community two to three times weekly. But I think it is just a habit for residents to burn the garbage that is there that is not collected. The truck will come and pick up the garbage, and 10 minutes later you see them light more garbage because garbage is always there,” said Malvo.

He explained that his health and the health of family members has also been affected by the burning of junk in the community.

“About two years ago I was hospitalised due to the fact that I had a lung infection that I didn’t know about. I don’t smoke and I don’t drink. The doctors say that it was due to inhalation of fumes in the environment,” Malvo said, adding that he even got a note from the doctor to take to the nearest police station.

“He said I should let them [police] know that burning is happening in my community, because you also have babies in the community. On this road alone you have about four newborns and fi have newborns inhaling that smoke is not good. Plus you have a number of people who have sinus and it affect them,” said Malvo, adding that in recent years, the burning has increased in the community, noting a number of health problems that had arisen.

“For the past two years, the burning has been happening more frequently. I have seen an increase in persons burning and even the things that they burn; them start burn animals too.

“Sometimes you will be inside your house and you just see smoke come from nowhere. My mom recently came out of the hospital and the smoke from the burning triggered a lot of additional illnesses in her, heart palpitations and those things,” said Malvo.

The natural beauty of the community, especially sections of the Hope River where children play and adults frolic, has also been diminished because of the garbage.

“Honestly you have some people in the community who throw them garbage inna the gully and inna the river. We do a clean wah day, but we can’t do enough clean-up because as you finish people dump them garbage pon the river side or inna the gully again,” one resident told the Sunday Observer.

Byron Jackson, elderly resident, said that the disposal of garbage had got worse over the 50 years he has lived in August Town.

“Mi live here bout 50 years now, and garbage is always a problem here. The truck don’t come here regular enough, and some places the truck don’t go and the people don’t have anywhere else to put the garbage but pon di river bank or inna di river,” said Jackson.

“Sometimes when it get bad the people light it a fire and that is worse. You sleeping in the night and you just start smell smoke. And you have a lot of asthmatic people living down here,” he added.

Another elderly resident who chose not give her name, quickly summarised that although garbage collection is sometimes a problem, an even bigger problem are the poor habits of some residents.

“Sometimes di truck nuh come fi all two weeks and the people them carry the garbage go throw on the river bank. A few a wi will bag up wi garbage and put it dung and wait until the truck come. But most people cyah keep it because the yard them small.

“But if you have any cleanliness in you, you would keep your garbage because sometimes the truck don’t come here for about three weeks, and I bag up my garbage and keep it inside my house, mi nah throw it down there because I know the danger,” said the elderly woman.