MONTEGO BAY, St James — All too familiar with road projects being delayed because there are derelict vehicles abandoned in the public space, Member of Parliament for St James West Central Marlene Malahoo Forte has welcomed an ongoing push to get rid of bulky waste.

“I have had road works delayed for months trying to get the cooperation of residents to move the vehicles,” she said.The MP was speaking with journalists, Thursday, as a crane from the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) removed an old vehicle near Howard Cooke Primary School in St James.“These vehicles have been parked here from the time I came to St James West Central and I just want to appeal to residents: please do not leave your derelict vehicle in the roadway and in the common community space,” urged Malahoo Forte.She later told the Jamaica Observer of the impact abandoned vehicles have had on her efforts to get road work done.“When I was doing Tucker Avenue up in Irwin, we faced that impediment. Even as we were going across to scope and to identify the roads for the SPARK programme and so many other little community fixes, I’ve experienced it,” she said.

In July the Government launched a $1.3-billion National Clean Up Programme to get rid of bulky waste in addition to destroying mosquito-breeding sites. There has already been work done in Kingston and Clarendon. On Thursday, it was St James’ turn. Teams from NSWMA along with stakeholders from the municipal corporation and the St James Health Services converged on Catherine Hall to kick-start a robust drive that was welcomed by some residents.

“As you have seen how many members of the community have come out or are peeping from their verandas, just really excited. One of the ladies who came out said that one of the cars taken up belonged to her relative and she had warned him many times to take it up. Well, it is being removed today,” said Malahoo Forte.

A number of other old cars were removed on Thursday, some of which bore notices that had been affixed to them over time, urging their owners to remove them.

Malahoo Forte is hopeful that residents will grasp the importance of the initiative and maintain a certain standard going forward.

“My appeal is to all my constituents, because we are here in the constituency of St James West Central, please help the Government to help you,” she said.

Some individuals used the opportunity to dispose of items that were inside their homes.One mother of a two-month-old child, who only gave her last name as Brown, told the Observer they have been plagued by rats and mosquitoes and she is hoping the clean-up will help alleviate those problems.

“We never know rat could climb tree and climb wall, all on the light wire,” she lamented.

Her fellow resident, who opted not to provide his name, wanted more information on the schedule to collect bulky waste. “We don’t know the proper procedures. They say that a truck supposed to come and take up certain things like old stove and something but we don’t even know,” he stated. “I would like if they can do it more often instead of like every 10 years or so,” the man said.

The NSWMA has committed to keep working.

“Today (Thursday) we have a team in St James and another team in Trelawny and tomorrow we will come back into St James and send the other half of the team in Trelawny. Saturday we will split the team between Hanover and Westmoreland,” regional operations manager for Western Parks and Markets (WPM) Edward Muir explained.

“That will not be the end of the operation, this is just the launch. Next week, we intend to go back to the drawing board, look at where we missed out and ensure that we continue this operation and remove all derelict vehicles from the western end of the country,” he added.