CLARENDON, Jamaica — Workers who have a hand in keeping the country clean are hoping a bit of the respect shown to health professionals will come their way.

“[Nurses and doctors] are… reactive… because persons go to the doctor after they are sick. We want some of that ‘ratings’ as waste collectors, drivers and sanitation workers. Because we are the persons who are proactive; we seek to avoid illnesses. So we deserve more respect, as an agency of government. We need more respect from society. People often look down on our workers for doing the ‘dirty work’ and so our workers are dealt with disrespectfully,” complained public cleansing manager at Southern Parks and Markets (SPM) Sheldon Smith.

He noted that since the onset of the novel coronavirus pandemic a lot more residential waste is being generated, which means his teams are doing more pick-ups.

“I’m sure it’s at least 50 per cent more waste. Sometimes we ask persons to put a drum at their gate but they say they use it to catch water. They [are] not seeing the long-term effect of not having [a] bin. They see the short-term effect of having water to drink and bathe now, but not seeing the long-term effect of having a clean environment and the impact [this will have] on their health.”

He was speaking with OBSERVER ONLINE on Wednesday during the launch of the National Solid Waste Management Authority’s ‘Bag It’ campaign in May Pen, Clarendon.

According to Smith, Jamaicans have a serious problem with bagging and containerising their garbage.

“We want persons to start bagging their garbage and putting it safely in a bin and putting it in a place where we can pick it up quickly. Having your waste bagged does a lot as it is more hygienic and we would spend less time cleaning it up,” he explained. “If it’s in a bag it just takes 10 seconds to pick it up. [This is] even more important as we are in the hurricane season. We want this to be [a part of our culture], we want to renew civic pride in our fellow men. When we have a clean environment, they’ll have a better mental space and I believe we will deal with each other better.”

The reopening of beaches and rivers on June 3 is expected to result in a lot more people out and about, which will lead to the generation of more garbage.

The NSWMA will be taking its ‘Bag it’ initiative to these spaces to encourage compliance.