Community Focus : Lucea choking in garbage

Residents in Hanover are of the view that the unsightly conditions in the parish capital, Lucea, could be preventing greater development of the coastal town, and are hoping that the authorities can lead a restoration of civic pride.

"When I was young, people use to clean the streets and trees plant about, but the people have become unruly and they have no civic pride, throwing their garbage anywhere," Lee Haughtorne told the WESTERN STAR recently.

"Lucea has been like this for many years now and in order for it to change, we are going to have to change the mindset of the people, especially the young ones. I want to see the town go back to the days where the drains and gutters were free of garbage," he added.

Mounds of plastic bottles, bags and other waste could be seen in the drains and along the shoreline of the town where a number of small business owners trade, but they have denied contributing to the garbage pile-up.

"See it deh, we have we garbage bin where we throw our garbage, and a many people over here have them bin," said Ginette Scarlett. "Is the people them in the countryside throw them garbage in a the river and gully, and it wash come down here on the beachfront. So all a what you seeing, is up the line it a come from and come run out in a di sea. These things must cut out," she added.

Her sentiments were echoed by Everton Anderson, who opined that the authorities have been doing a poor job at handling the solid waste in the town.

"The mayor and everybody need to come together and help clean up Lucea," Anderson said. "Tourists and other locals a come to Lucea and a see the filth ... . It doesn't look good. Lucea needs a clean-up day, even once a week, to help bring things back to normal," he added.