KINGSTON and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) councillors have unanimously voted in support of a resolution which will see organisers of mass public events forking out mandatory fees to go towards the cleaning up public spaces in a timely manner after all the fun and enjoyment ends.

The resolution was put forward by People’s National Party (PNP) councillor of the Trafalgar Division Jesse James Clarke and was seconded by his colleague, Sarah Marshall, who is PNP councillor for the Trench Town Division, at the KSAMC General Council meeting Tuesday.

According to Clarke, residents of many communities in Kingston and St Andrew are not happy about the usual manner in which the streets are littered during mass public events. He highlighted that their grouse also stems from the fact that property is also damaged during the hosting of some of these events.

“Residents are greeted with obtrusive spread of garbage lining the roadways of many of our thoroughfares from events held at the National Stadium, New Kingston, Sabina Park, Barbican, Half-Way-Tree, downtown Kingston and Lady Musgrave Road. Not only major roadways are affected, but community roads as well. Almost every councillor in the room is thinking about roads in his or her own division that is affected by mass events being held.

“Having garbage on our roads hours after public events are concluded poses consequential public health risks… that will affect the residents of the hosting communities long after the patrons and organisers have gone home. The longer the garbage is on the roads, the more opportunity it has to clog underground drains which later cause flooding and contamination of our aquatic eco-system with macro and micro plastics. Patrons sometimes leave behind damaged property, for example, walls, perimeter fencing and traffic signs that the municipality is tasked with replacing,” Clarke pointed out.

He acknowledged that Kingston, like most cities across the world, is densely populated, which means that residential and commercial activities have to intersect. While this is totally understandable, he said that the intersecting must take place in a manner that is beneficial to everyone involved.

He proposed that the cost for cleaning up after events be included in the applications filed with the KSAMC and that the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) be the entity contracted to carry out the cleaning. He said this would take away the responsibility from the organisers themselves, of physically cleaning up the spaces and therefore leaving it up to an entity that has the experience and technical expertise in waste management.

“This we do not expect to be problematic because this is money the organisers would have to pay anyway to clean up after their event. The KSAMC is only making this process more efficient and organised, ensuring that it is done immediately after events conclude. In addition to this, a refundable security deposit will also be collected to ensure that organisers adhere to the terms and conditions of their approved application and that their crowd is managed properly to minimise negative impact on the venue and associated spaces,” Clarke said.

Failing to uphold the approved agreement, or where there is damage to property exceeding the original amount collected for the application fee, would mean an automatic forfeiture of the security deposit, Clarke added.

“In other words, if there are cost overruns or a violation of the agreement, the responsible organisers will lose the security deposit. Keep the agreement and your security deposit will be returned promptly,” he added.

Marshall, meanwhile, expressed that she was in support of the resolution because it’s important to promote cleanliness.

“We must always seek to protect the environment in a safe way. Also, we must implement methods to promote cleanliness at all times and we must develop seriously a comprehensive public education programme for our people as to the way they dispose of their garbage,” she said.

“It is important that the KSAMC emphasises and put plans and programmes in place for the organisers and promoters. We must hold them accountable.“