NSWMA strengthens enforcement operations in St James

The National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) has strengthened its enforcement operations to address illegal dumping across the parish of St James.

In an interview with JIS News, Community Relations Manager at the NSWMA, Sharnon Williams, reported that illegal dumping remains a recurring challenge across the parish, despite daily clean-up efforts.

“Illegal dumping is a serious challenge. It continues to happen throughout the parish, and while we clean them on a daily basis, they come back. Some of them we would have categorised as hot spots,” she said.

Some of the identified hotspots are Hart Street, Barnett Lane, Mount Salem, Sewell Avenue and Glover Allen Drive in Pitfour.

To help reduce the occurrence of illegal dumping, the NSWMA has implemented several measures, including increased monitoring and spot checks at waste sites, community sensitisation on the effects of improper disposal, and regular site cleaning.

One additional measure used is the provision of waste storage containers to residents.

“There are several factors that contribute to the (illegal dumping sites). Some persons really don’t have proper storage at home, and some simply refuse to have storage at home,” Williams explained.

Although some areas have seen a reduction in illegal dumping, Williams explained that the NSWMA must intensify efforts to achieve greater change.

In the meantime, businesses are being urged to fulfil their responsibility by ensuring their waste is disposed of at licensed sites by private contractors.

“You can do your checks. Ensure that they bring back that receipt to show that the waste is actually deposited there, because persons will take the job to remove the waste and deposit it in places like these,” she noted, during a visit to the illegal dump site at White House in St James.

Williams highlighted that this area had recently undergone a significant clean-up, yet bulky waste had reappeared.

“We’re causing damage to the environment with all this kind of waste. And remember, we just clean up the space. And tourists often use this space to jog between the hotels. This does not look good aesthetically,” she said.

The mandate of the NSWMA is to collect residential waste, while commercial entities are expected to organise contractual agreements for the disposal of waste with private haulers or the NSWMA.

- JIS News

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