More than 5000 households of New Amsterdam, Region 6 (East Berbice-Corentyne) are made to use the single garbage tractor and trailer available by the New Amsterdam Municipality.
Municipal Health Inspector Ackloo Ramsudh
What is even more is that the vehicle encounters regular mechanical problem that has resulted in a pile-up of garbage in the country’s oldest town. Bins are overflowing and residents have resorted to disposing of solid waste along road shoulders around the town.
In light of the poor service being currently providing, the Environmental Health Department is appealing to residents to have a second garbage receptacle in their yards.
Municipal Health Inspector, Ackloo Ramsudh, stated that the department is appreciative of any efforts by individuals who want to take their waste to the dump site at Esplanade. “Those waste that are taken there will be accepted free of charge,” Ackloo told this publication.
He noted that it is the department’s desire that they service each household on a weekly basis but because of constraints, it is struggling to maintain even a monthly service: “For example, we have a compactor truck that is not working. We recently acquired a skip bin mechanically-operated tractor that developed some problems also and these are situations that we find are not within our control. We are asking residents to be patient with us.”
Meanwhile, skip bins have been placed at perceived strategic locations in the town is to assist with residential waste. “Persons would have been producing waste…building up in their yard and they do not have the means to take it to the Municipal dumpsite. We have noticed that those skip bins are being misused by commercial entities; we have noticed that on some occasions those bins have been set afire and this will eventually damage the metal,” Ramsudh added.
Despite being handicapped, the Environmental Health Department is taking a proactive approach to ensure that persons do not use the current situation as an excuse for dumping their waste on the street.
“One of the interventions that the Municipality has taken is to inspect the yards of persons and to ensure that they have a receptacle to collect their waste and if those persons do not have a receptacle then those persons will be fined. We recognize that persons who do not have a receptacle are the persons who are responsible for littering indiscriminately,” the Health Inspector stated.
The fine will start at $3000 for first-time offenders after they would have been given a written warning.
