AT least two cleaning companies say requests for their post-event services have gone through the roof as party promoters move to comply with regulations set by the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) and other local authorities to prevent garbage pollution after large-scale events.

Concerns were rife last year about the lack of clean-up following Jamaica Carnival Road March, as garbage littering sections of the capital city hours after the event prompted multiple complaints from residents.

With the increasing popularity of similar large-scale events, local authorities sought to establish a sustainable system for managing these activities and, two months ago, the KSAMC passed a resolution imposing a mandatory, refundable bond fee for all approved events to cover the cost of cleaning all associated sections of the municipality.

Two companies are now reaping the rewards of this and other moves to prevent littering after mass public events, as they’ve experienced significantly improved business within the post-event clean-up industry.

Romario Creary, director of Kielo Property Solutions Limited, formerly known as What Party Ja, said his business has been in operation for more than eight years and, over the last year, he’s seen an uptick in requests for the clean-up service with about 30 more inquiries than usual coming from party promoters. He told the Jamaica Observer last week that his team also did 15 to 20 more events, over the last year, than they would’ve done under normal circumstances.

“We have to give credit to the KSAMC for implementing some very important limitations and regulations as it relates to hosting parties and holding these promoters accountable. We know what happened at the last carnival, and the mayor was adamant that it can’t happen again. Since then, he implemented such policies that say if you are hosting a party, you need to ensure that you have a letter from a registered cleaning entity stating when they are going to clean up, how they gonna clean up, how many people they gonna have on the ground, how many garbage receptacles they’re gonna have, et cetera,” Creary
said.

“A lot of promoters have been engaging us saying, ‘Please give me a quote because I need this letter. I’m not gonna get my permit until I get this letter to give to KSAMC’, so we’ve seen a significant uptick in business… a lot of the persons who never reached out to us before, they have started to reach out to us now because they don’t have a choice,” said Creary.

He told the Sunday Observer that since the start of the year his team has covered 10 events and joined the Xodus team for the first time ever to conduct post-event clean-up activities for events leading up to Carnival Sunday. He added that he is also looking to expand his team to cater to other services and events.

“We’ve had more leads and more executions; thank you to the KSAMC,” said Creary.

“I think we just have to build on this, and we have to hold each other accountable. At the end of the day, the city is ours, so it doesn’t make any sense we try and cheap it out and be profit sharks and then wake up the next morning and the whole place is a mess,” he added.

Shannon Singh, managing director of Clean Choice Jamaica, said she has been in the industry since 2017, and her company has also seen a surge in demand in recent times.

“I would say there has been maybe about a 30 per cent increase in requests and business,” she told the Sunday Observer.

Singh added that, for the first time ever, her team was also hired to work with Carnival band GenXS for three of its events leading up to Carnival Sunday, which was a big plus for them. She added that her company also offers clean-up services for weddings and other events, ranging from 100 to 5,000 attendees.

“We’re very flexible with working with our client’s budget because, as you know, with every event there are different aspects that each planner has to contend with, and budget is very important. If I’m being completely honest, clean-up is usually the last thing on the list, so we are very flexible when working with our clients,” said Singh.

“It’s a good business. It is a dirty business and not everybody wants to do it, but somebody has to do it and with the increase in events, there is a demand for it,” she said, adding that the market is lucrative.

Mayor of Kingston Andrew Swaby said that while the increase in activity for service providers was never the intent of the initiative, he is somewhat satisfied with the improvements that have taken place.

SWABY… the KSAMC continues to review and assess existing event-related policies to ensure they meet the needs of both the public and the event industry (Photo: Joseph Wellington)

Unlike last year, clean-up after the Jamaica Carnival Road March was greatly improved. However, Swaby noted that there is still room for improvement to ensure all events result in clean areas for residents afterward.

“We believe that our Clean Kingston initiative, in which we have partnered with the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) and other stakeholders, will yield the benefits of a clean city, whether it is before, during, or after events,” Swaby told the Sunday Observer.

He noted that promoters have responded well to the requirements.

“They understand its purpose and have shown a willingness to comply. So far we have had no refusals to comply, which is a strong indication of the sector’s understanding of its role in responsible event management,” Swaby said.

“The KSAMC continues to review and assess existing event-related policies to ensure they meet the needs of both the public and the event industry. While there are no immediate new measures being rolled out, the corporation remains committed to ongoing improvements, where necessary,” added Swaby.

Singh told the Sunday Observer that there still exists a need for more environmentally friendly steps.

She noted that being eco-friendly is a main part of her company’s mission, and while a lot has been done to preserve the environment, there are still areas that need to be considered.

“There needs to be more awareness in terms of the importance of it and not just on an event basis, but on an environmental basis. People don’t take into consideration the amount of plastics that we use, the amount of fabrics that we use, and what happens to those things,” she said.

“There is a lot of signage that is thrown away at the end of an event, a lot of fabrics that are used, outside of plastics. And finding ways to recycle plastics and stuff like that, there are so many other things that go to waste and they don’t disintegrate well, and that affects us. So I think that’s a big conversation that needs to be had, especially for an island that has a lot of events,” she added.

A worker from Clean Choice Jamaica disposing of garbage collected during an event.

SINGH… it’s dirty business and not everybody wants to do it, but somebody has to

Employees at Kielo Property Solutions, formerly known as What Party Ja, engage in clean-up activities after an event.

CREARY… a lot of the persons who never reached out to us before, they have started to reach out to us now because they don’t have a choice