La Penitence Market garbage piles: M&CC threatens stricter penalties for vendors; suspension of permits being considered

The Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC) is warning vendors at La Penitence Market that tough measures, including fines and possible permit suspensions, are on the table if they fail to clean up after their daily sales. Director of Solid Waste Management, Walter Narine, in a brief telephone interview with this publication, expressed frustration at the persistent problem of vendors leaving large piles of garbage scattered across the market area despite having access to proper disposal facilities. The most recent incident being Sunday’s vending, which saw huge piles of garbage and perishable goods being left at stalls after vending concluded.
Narine, who took to social media and expresses frustration about the matter, told this publication on Monday that while stall rents give vendors a designated space, they do not cover garbage disposal. Against this backdrop, he explained that vendors are expected to remove unsold items and waste themselves.

“The usual protocol would be that it is expected of them to clear the garbage and take it to the compact that is right about 10 metres away from where they’re vending if so much five metres away. We have a big static compactor, 18 tonnes static compactor. The councils rent it in every day to clear, right? We pay $30,000 every day to clean the garbage. So all the vendors and expected vendors when they finish vending, clean up and take the garbage to the compactor,” Narine said.
On Sunday, City Council workers were once again forced to intervene to clean the La Penitence Market area, which Narine said was “95 per cent completed” by the afternoon.
Unnecessary strain on M&CC
However, he cautioned that these interventions place an unnecessary strain on the Council’s resources and cannot continue indefinitely. In this regard, the Solid Waste Director recommended a consultation between the Council and vendors to establish clear expectations and penalties.
“Something needs to be done. My recommendation would be that council have to have a meet with the vendors, a consultation and find an amicable solution. My solution is basically you have to clean up after you finish vending. If not, some severe action should be taken against you… This may be the action. It may be fine and ultimately if you concede to it, you probably will be suspended,” he said.
The illegal disposal and build-up of garbage has been a consistent issue in the capital city. The responsibility of cleaning the city solely falls under the jurisdiction of the Georgetown M&CC and local democratic organs, who receives a subvention from central Government to fund capital projects. Notwithstanding this, the Government has still been intervening to clean up the city and bring relief to residents.
According to Narine, efforts to improve waste management infrastructure and operations remain a top priority. Currently, the Georgetown M&CC possess over 33 garbage trucks that are operational along with a tractor and environmental workers.
In 2024, Mayor of Georgetown, Alfred Mentore told media operatives that council allocates $500 million annually for waste collection, encompassing both private and municipal waste management systems.