Vreed-en-Hoop businesses call for NDC to clear garbage pile-up

For several weeks, garbage has been piling up at the Vreed-en-Hoop, West Coast Demerara (WCD) junction, affecting not only commuters, customers and drivers, but businesses in the area as well.

Infuriated business owners on Monday reached out to Guyana Times to share their concerns. While calling out the Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) for not clearing the area of the garbage, nearby business owners decried the situation since flies and fumes are affecting their food and clothing businesses.
An employee at a clothing business in the vicinity complained that other business persons in the area would usually dump their garbage at the junction; a trend which would usually be followed by school children as well as other commuters who wait at the junction for transportation.
Another concerned businesswoman complained that minibus drivers also throw their garbage near businesses and the NDC does nothing to eradicate the littering trend.
“It’s just there and it just keeps piling up. I’ve never seen anybody clear it up unless we pay people to do it and we are all paying taxes for this,” she related.
Meanwhile a business owner noted, “Guys or people at the bus stop would usually drink their beers and their drinks and leave it at our shed and the girls who are employed here would have to clean it”.
The entrepreneur said she would like the officials at the NDC to focus on the garbage pile-up in that area and place bins to avoid the issue or even ‘litter-free zones’ to raise some form of awareness.
Another business owner said that customers usually leave the business and other people do not visit the store when they see the huge piles of waste. It is because of this that she is forced to use her profits to do the work of the NDC.
“If they have to park there to come out of the vehicle to walk there, many people wouldn’t want to do it because to walk on the walkway we have to walk on garbage, so if it’s cleaned it gonna be a really really good idea and it’s going to benefit not just us but the country,” she added.
The stand of a vendor in the area who sells nuts was being swarmed by flies.
“We glad fuh them come and get this place cleaned up,” he said, adding that food vendors in the area are expected to have a meeting soon to discuss the worrying trend.
He too said many times businesses bear the expenses of having the area cleaned up.