MORANT BAY, St Thomas — Responding to an avalanche of criticism about the poor job it is doing collecting garbage in St Thomas, a representative of the local agency responsible has promised that a shift system will be explored to address the concerns.

The commitment was given at last Thursday’s monthly meeting of the parish’s municipal corporation after several councillors complained that waste has been piling up in several communities and there is a stench in the areas. The issue is compounded by stray animals that scatter the garbage as they forage for food.

Like those she was elected to represent, Councillor Marsha Francis (People’s National Party (PNP), Cedar Valley Division) has been personally affected by the situation.

“This thing is getting so frustrating. It is over a month since my garbage is piled up at my house and it is starting to smell… the place is stink,” she said.

She believes that enough is not being done to remedy the situation.

Jhon Lee (Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), Yallahs Division) complained that there has been a major backlog in his division for three months.

“I built a large skip in my division and it’s a disgrace to see the area become a dump site instead of a holding area. People have to be putting garbage around the skip,” he said.

He added that a skip in the Logwood area hasn’t been cleared for the past six months.

The councillors are recommending that Metropolitan Parks and Markets (MPM) Waste Management Limited designates a week to clean the parish by bringing in dumper trucks to assist in the clearing process.

“I normally have one 55-gallon drum at my gate and I had to buy two more drums to make it three… and when I was leaving my home this morning, they were all filled,” said Councillor Hubert Williams (PNP, White Horses Division). He is of the view that the situation in the parish has now reached emergency levels.

For Mayor Michael Hue (JLP, Port Morant Division) the Morant Bay Market was his major concern. Pointing out that it generates a lot of waste, he asked that its garbage be collected twice per week.

MPM’s acting Regional Operations Manager Nigel Gooden explained that the inefficiencies being experienced in garbage collection across the parish stem from a lack of resources needed to carry out the agency’s functions.

“We did get a lot of waste outside of the parish, but we still have a significant amount left. Travel distance and the road condition continues to create some challenges for us; however, we are trying to get back on schedule,” said Gooden.

“The challenge ahead of us is daunting, but we are asking the residents to bear with us,” he added.

His proposed solution is to have two drivers, one who will cover the day shift and the other who will work at nights.

“The plan is to have nightly clean-ups where the town centres will be cleaned and the community garbage will be collected during the daytime,” he explained.

Mayor Hue said he is expecting to see improvements in the coming weeks.