LUCEA, Hanover — Western Parks and Markets (WPM) Waste Management Limited, the regional arm of the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA), says it will be demolishing two concrete garbage receptacles in Lucea which it claims are an eyesore.

The move to go ahead with the demolition, however, is against concerns expressed last week by councillors in the Hanover Municipal Corporation.

The WPM, in a release on Wednesday, said the entity will be collaborating with volunteers and community leaders to engage in a pre-Labour Day clean-up activity in Lucea on Thursday.

It added that their efforts will include the demolishing of the concrete receptacles in Brissett and Haughton Court, and clearing and properly disposing of waste from illegal dumpsites.

The entity said the project will also have a beautification aspect whereby landscaping, planting of trees and flowers, and creating community gardens or recreational spaces in the cleared areas will be carried out.

According to WPM, the aim of the project is to transform the neglected areas into clean and beautiful spaces that will not only improve the environment but also enhance the quality of life for residents. The agency said the initiative forms part of its ongoing commitment to promoting sustainable waste management practices and fostering cleaner communities.

WPM Public Cleansing Inspector Rosemarie Erskine told the monthly general meeting of the Hanover Municipal Corporation last Thursday that it was with mixed emotions and excitement that the WPM will be taking on the project and is hoping for full support. Erskine said the hope was to sell the idea of cleaning and beautifying the areas.

Mayor of Lucea Sheridan Samuels and councillor for the Lucea Division Brian “Penta” Chambers made it clear that they were not in support of the project.

“I am strongly opposing them. I think you could use your time better to look at different projects on Labour Day and give back something to the community itself. Build a ramp to go somewhere [or] build a house for [an] indigent person. You know, I think you could better use your time in the space other than to go and demolish a thing that you don’t have a plan as to going forward to deal with the waste in the communities,” said Samuels.

“You know what can solve the problem? Build a bigger skip down there,” added Mayor Samuels, to which Erskine queried, “Are you sure that you would want to have that on the highway leading to Negril”?

“So, where are you going to keep the garbage? Do you want the people to keep it at home where rats and leptospirosis kill them in their own space? Because, what is going to happen as the deputy [mayor Andria Dehaney Grant] said, you are going to say that you are coming in on Tuesday and when we save the garbage for Tuesday, you don’t come until next Tuesday or the other Tuesday,” argued the mayor, who is also the chairman of the Hanover Municipal Corporation.

Erskine argued, however, that the receptacles are unsightly due to improper use by the public, most of whom she said are not from these communities.

“We have done our research. We have sat there and observed for hours trying to figure out [how they are being used]. It is really a difficult situation to deal with because it simply means that we will have to provide a truck to clean those almost every day. We have two units in the parish which is not enough. So, we will have to be very strategic in how we do this. So, please understand,” Erskine requested of the councillors as she noted that further dialogue would be had with them.

However, the mayor and Councillor Chambers, who are members of the People’s National Party, argued that residents within these communities will also suffer because of inadequate and poor collection schedules. They said that some sections of these communities have inaccessible lanes to trucks and people living inward will not hear the tooting of the truck’s horn.

“The problem is not with the citizens and how they dispose of the garbage. The problem is with the NSWMA because they are not removing this garbage timely. That is it,” stated Samuels. However, Erskine disagreed, said the areas are cleaned every day.

Said Samuels: “If it is cleared every day, it means that you need a bigger one there. Why do you want to remove it because you see some garbage spilling over? What kind of arrangement will you have with the community?

“This arrangement that you have will not work. Because if you don’t have enough trucks to just stop at one location, pick up and move, you are going to drive through the entire community, stop[ping] at every single gate and you don’t have enough trucks to do that.”