KSAMC to make arrangements for garbage removal

The Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) is finalising plans for a contractual arrangement with a private waste management operator to remove garbage in the Corporate Area.

Mayor of Kingston, Senator Councillor Delroy Williams, said under the arrangement, the operator will "roam the streets" and ensure that specific areas are cleared of waste regularly.

Addressing the Corporation's Annual Shelter Management Conference recently at the Scouts Association of Jamaica headquarters in St Andrew, Williams said this development will ensure that the public spaces are kept clean. He noted that the issue of garbage collection is getting attention by the Government and regular pick-up will be improved.

Williams pointed out that the National Solid Waste Management Authority is addressing improper disposal and infrequent collections, and the KSAMC is playing its part in mobilising funds and expertise to help tackle the problem. He also reported that a trapping and extracting system is now in place at four gullies to prevent plastics from entering the Kingston Harbour, and this will be expanded to the eight other gullies.

Under the partnership involving the KSAMC, GraceKennedy Foundation and other entities, interceptor barriers have been placed at the mouths of gullies, which trap and remove plastic bottles, Styrofoam containers, bagged waste, and large household appliances. The system is most effective during wet months, when rainwater pushes debris down the gullies, but the interceptor barriers remain in place throughout the year.