SPM rolls out ‘Drum A Di Gate’ in St Elizabeth
SANTA CRUZ, St Elizabeth — Residents of Holland Village near this town are being encouraged to make use of the distribution of 70 drums by Southern Parks and Markets (SPM) Waste Management in an effort to improve the aesthetics of the scenic Holland Bamboo Avenue.
Edward Muir, regional manager at SPM, which is a subsidiary of the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) and which is responsible for clearing solid waste in Manchester, Clarendon and St Elizabeth, said the drums were distributed on Wednesday through the ‘Drum A Di Gate’ initiative.
“Normally, residents would bring the garbage to the main road at Holland Bamboo and what has happened is that it has created an unsightly situation, so we have now gotten some drums from our partners,” he said.
“Those drums are placed at each person’s house in the community. What we are planning to do is [to have] once every two weeks collection in Holland Village to ensure that there is no longer any illegal dumping on the main road,” added Muir.
He said St Elizabeth needs more garbage trucks to improve the turnaround time in solid waste collection.
“I just want to remind residents that we will be getting some new trucks soon by the end of the year and I am saying now that St Elizabeth will get its fair share of trucks. St Elizabeth needs no fewer than 10 trucks to have once a week collection. I am not saying we will get [them all]. What I am saying is that we currently have four trucks, so whatever we get it will put us in a better situation to reach the once-a-week collection in St Elizabeth,” said Muir.
He commended residents for properly disposing of their solid waste.
“We are seeing an increase in garbage. Residents are now containerising their garbage as best as possible. What we want to say is that it is a good practice and we need to continue it. We are using drums because it makes the crew move through the community much easier and faster in order for them to complete their collection schedule,” he said.
“We want to encourage residents to take care of the drums that we are putting in the community so that we can have a faster collection time,” he added.
— Kasey Williams
