THE stench from garbage dumped close to the perimeter wall of Maxfield Park Primary School, and the resultant rodent infestation, has been a constant “nightmarish reality” for Principal Tracey-Ann Holloway-Richards since her tenure began nine years ago.

On Wednesday, the head of the St Andrew school made a desperate plea to National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) and Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation to mount an immediate and impartial enforcement campaign against people who continue to dump their garbage in the area.

“What happens [is that] in August when they know school is going to reopen in September, somebody comes and they take up the garbage. It’s cleaned for September morning and the first week of school. After that, it goes right back. If they [garbage collectors] come and clean it up today, by tomorrow — I can guarantee you — you will see the garbage [pile-up] return,” Holloway-Richards told the Jamaica Observer.

She charged that the situation is growing increasingly unbearable, not only because of its “unsightly nature”, but also due to a rodent issue that the garbage has created on the compound, posing serious health concerns for students and staff.

“When the Ministry of Health comes, I direct them to see what’s causing [the rats] — the garbage that is right there on the outside. I have to get vents and put up in the kitchen area, especially, so that rats don’t come in from the same garbage heap on the outside there.

“We have a severe problem, a very severe problem on this compound. I have to ensure that everything is closed off where the kitchen is concerned because of the rats and that garbage at the front of the school right there,” said Holloway-Richards, her face wearing palpable disgust.

She added that the school has faced significant expenses to hire private contractors to clear the area, as the NSWMA reportedly takes weeks between visits

“When I pay to cut these [bushes on the outside], I can’t find money every month to cut them; that costs me $15,000 just for cutting. And when it’s time for them to pick up the bags now, I have to have a truck that comes to remove those bags from off the road. How much is that expense? That’s another $20,000 — so I don’t have $35,000 every other week to pay for this,” said Holloway-Richards .

She told the Observer the issue is further compounded by the fact that her students are faced with trekking through piles of garbage to make it to the school’s playing field for physical education (PE) lessons.

Holloway-Richards pointed out that the playing field sits directly across from the main campus, however dumped waste material frequently blocks the entrance, forcing teachers and students to either find a detour or move their classes elsewhere.

“Whenever we have PE they have to walk through that garbage or walk the long way around and go right in front of Norman Manley High School. When I say it’s a headache, I mean it, because here I am as a principal trying to uplift the children, and the children have to walk through garbage, and garbage is in front of them. It’s not easy,” she said.

Principal of Maxfield Park Primary School in St Andrew Tracey-Ann Holloway-Richards expressing her frustration over the garbage continually dumped outside the school. (Photo: Naphtali Junior)

Also fed up with the garbage crisis, PE teacher and coach Tommy McDonald walked the Observer team through the mounting heaps of trash along the route he takes with his children.

As he and his class did their usual routine from the field, the bustling children also shared their thoughts: “The garbage so stink”. “It’s so disgusting,” some of the youngsters muttered.

“I heard from the people in the community that there used to be a garbage skip in the area before they enclosed it, so when you go inside of the field you can see where the skip used to be at one point, so the mentality is, ‘Garbage used to be here, so now that they block it out let’s throw it on the roadside,’ ” said McDonald.

He pointed out that, while the NSWMA did carry out a clean-up of the roadways, it was not enough to combat the nature of the litterbugs in surrounding communities, and commuters who continue to throw garbage from their vehicles.

“Couple times I’ve seen vehicles passing by just dumping stuff; so, they’ll clean it up today and tomorrow you see them just come with an entourage of garbage and just empty out a truck back of waste there. So I think some cameras need to be put up there because these people need to start paying for what they’re doing there. It’s very annoying; the kids are affected,” said McDonald.

Holloway-Richards shared that their problems over the years with illegal dumping has not been a secret, and several complaints have been made to the community’s recently elected Member of Parliament Dennis Gordon.

She said Gordon has intervened whenever he is called upon, sending trucks and aid to remove the piles of rubbish, but Holloway-Richards argued that reacting to the issue is not enough.

She is calling on authorities to levy stringent punishment on those who continue to litter the area.

“I’m appealing to solid waste management [NSWMA] and the authorities that are associated. On this avenue, we have students from Rousseau Primary, Maxfield Park Primary, St Peter Claver Primary, Melrose Primary, Norman Manley High School. Students from five schools use this avenue to traverse to and from school so what are we saying? What message are we sending out to the community and to the children already living in poverty?

“I have children at my school who they don’t have a bathroom at their house, they have no running water — you know the story of inner-city life. And then to come to school now and to see this in front of them, that’s demotivating,” lamented Halloway-Richards..