MANDEVILLE, Manchester — Regional operations manager for Southern Parks and Markets (SPM) Waste Management Limited Edward Muir says the pile-up of garbage affecting communities in Mandeville and its environs will be cleared this week.

“All the trucks are up and running now in Manchester and we are on schedule. We now have our full complement so all backlog will be cleared by the middle of the week,” Muir said by telephone yesterday.

Mandeville residents who spoke with the Jamaica Observer expressed concern over the pile-up of garbage for almost a month in some areas and appealed for assistance from SPM.

“They used to collect the garbage every Monday; I have not seen them for approximately one month now. The last time they came was on a Saturday night [and] soon from now the dogs are going to have a field day in the avenue,” said a resident of College View in Mandeville to the Observer last Friday.

Muir assured that garbage collection in affected areas should soon return to the regular schedule.

Following last Tuesday’s Jamaica Observer story headlined ‘Rats will take us over’ the SPM quickly started clearing a pile-up of garbage in Ingleside and some areas off New Green Road.

However, a resident of Rosedale Drive, off New Green Road, who asked not to be named, complained yesterday about the possibility of rodent infestation.

“They used to come at least once a week, but right now it’s piling up. Luckily, I don’t see any rats yet, but if the pile-up continues it will encourage them to breed, and they can do that very fast. The worst part right now is when the stray dogs make a mess when the garbage isn’t secured properly,” he said.

“They have not been collecting as they ought to even though they pass here every day, up and down New Green Road. Right now it stinks, because it’s piling up all over the place,” he added.

– Kasey Williams