MONTEGO BAY, St James — Western Parks and Markets (WPM) is confident that the addition of two mini compactor trucks will make a significant difference in its collection of garbage, especially in St James.

“We haven’t had these types of vehicles since 2016, and what it will allow for is the access to certain streets and lanes where the large compactors cannot access,” said community relations officer for WPM, the western arm of the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA), Sharnon Williams.

She was speaking with the Jamaica Observer following the equipment handover at WPM’s Freeport office on Thursday.

Williams said the trucks will be used in the centre of Montego, a measure that is expected to lessen traffic congested usually associated with larger units.

The two mini trucks are part of a fleet of 11 allotted to WPM. Other additions include six large compactors, two tipper trucks, and a crane.

According to NSWMA Executive Director Audley Gordon, the crane is one of four to be deployed across Jamaica. They will be used to remove abandoned vehicles and other items that hamper garbage collection.

“We have a lot of derelict vehicles all over the place; some of them blocking up some little roads. When you go in, you can hardly pass with the garbage truck, the police can hardly pass, the ambulance can hardly pass, we have started ticketing them,” Gordon said of the need that spurred the purchase of the cranes.

With the additional compactor units there were 24 trucks working in St James on Thursday, part of an initiative to clear a backlog of garbage in the parish.

The NSWMA has promised that similar efforts are planned for other areas served by WPM and the trucks will remain in western Jamaica until all backlogs are cleared.

The newly assigned trucks are part of a batch of 50 vehicles that arrived in the country recently. It is the second half of 100 trucks sourced to improve waste collection across Jamaica. The first 50 units arrived in December 2022.

“We don’t have an excuse now with trucks, we cannot use trucks as an excuse, the only problem we have now is how we going to manage. That is where we have to challenge ourselves as an agency to deliver on behalf of the people because we are now equipped so to do,” said the NSWMA’s Gordon.