ST ANDREW, Jamaica – Mayor of Kingston, Councillor Andrew Swaby, led a team of councillors and technical officers from both the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) and the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA), on a tour of several sections of Half-Way Tree on Tuesday, where he engaged vendors who shed light on a range of issues they face.

The tour formed part of Swaby’s mandate to bolster stakeholder consultations and collaborations, where he gave a commitment to convene a series of meetings with various sector leaders over the next three months.

“Upon being elected as mayor, I gave my commitment to engage all stakeholder groups which includes vendors across the length and breadth of Kingston and St Andrew and today’s tour is borne out of that commitment to partnership and consultation,” Swaby said.

The mayor added that on Monday, he met with Audley Gordon, executive director at the NSWMA to share best practices as part of this inclusive approach. He believed that it was therefore necessary to coordinate this observatory tour to assess the state of cleanliness in Half-Way Tree, and to foster dialogue with vendors to implement strategies for sustainable solutions.

The vendors raised concerns regarding inadequate sanitary conveniences and garbage receptacles, as well as insufficient street lights within the space. The vendors also agreed with the mayor’s charge for them to exercise personal responsibility regarding storing their refuse for collection and determining peak collection days based on garbage accumulation patterns.

Mayor Swaby will meet with all vendors in the coming weeks to continue consultations on the way forward, which includes selection of a new president for the Jamaica Vendors, Higglers and Markets Association.