– M&CC seeking to acquire own garbage trucks by 2018
Cevons Waste Management and Puran Brothers Disposal have resumed their garbage collection services across the city, following talks with the Mayor and City Council (M&CC).
Georgetown Mayor Patricia Chase Green made the official announcement during
Georgetown Mayor Patricia Chase Green
a press briefing Wednesday at City Hall on Regent Street.
“I am happy to say that as I speak they have resumed duties, both contractors have resumed work,” Mayor Chase Green said.
The garbage collectors on Friday, June 7 pulled their service from Georgetown over the M&CC’s failure to pay them more than $300 million owed since 2015.
The Mayor explained that the M&CC was still in negotiations with both Cevons Waste Management and Puran Brothers Disposal towards working out a strategy for settling that outstanding debts.
She also said that the Council was taking steps to avoid having a similar disruption of garbage service in the future.
The Council will be seeking to boost its capacity to better deliver the service itself, the Mayor said. “A team has been set up to look at all the details of our new plan into having our own garbage trucks, even if we start with one or two come 2018, so we can move forward in that direction,” she explained.
However, the Mayor noted that several things would have to be in place before
Director of Solid Waste, Walter Narine
this could happen. Some of those things include the M&CC having their own workshop and employees to maintain their vehicles.
Director of Solid Waste, Walter Narine was also in agreement with the Mayor of the need for the city to strengthen its solid waste collection capacity.
“We do not foresee 10 to 15 years from now private contractors doing garbage collection for the city, because we have to save cost; we have employees and we are paying employees every month. So, I do not foresee that in the future,” he stated.
Additionally, the Solid Waste Director said persons were producing more garbage
City Hall, Georgetown, Guyana
than the 45-gallon barrel worth per week. Narine said this prompted a move by the M&CC to distribute garbage bins to households within the city. “What we are going to do to combat that; we are hoping very soon to give each household an additional garbage bin so that they can store the refuse,” Narine stated.
The bins according to Narine, are available and will soon be distributed to every household in the city along with garbage bags.
