The Government of Jamaica (GOJ) is moving to have clean streets for the Yuletide season, hiring an additional 500 sweepers and 300 private dumper and garbage vehicles to spearhead the country’s public sanitation efforts.

The sweepers will be concentrated in the country’s principal town centres and thoroughfares to ensure that sweeping is done regularly. Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Desmond McKenzie, who made the announcement in a statement in parliament on Tuesday (December 14), said this extra 500 individuals will supplement the National Solid Waste Management Authority of Jamaica’s, (NSWMA) current workforce of 500 workers.

He advised that the private units will be deployed across the country to help with bulky rubbish removal and other public-cleaning duties. He warned that the GOJ will be clamping down on illegal dumping in St James, Kingston and other sections of the island, declaring that these dumps are being removed.

Eliminating illegal dumping areas

According to the Minister, “we have eliminated a huge number of these illegal facilities and put in place the appropriate measures to guarantee that no further illegal dumping occurs at these sites around the country.” He disclosed that registered landfills will remain open until midnight, and rubbish will be collected until 11:00 pm in a few specified regions.

“These steps are intended to assist lessen the solid waste backlog that our folks are experiencing in various regions of the country. Significant effort has already been done to reduce the amount of [trash] that has accumulated, and this project will expedite the process while also ensuring that any garbage generated during the holiday season is properly treated,” the minister explained.

He issued a stern warning to businesses in the habit of illegal dumping of garbage, saying, “I’m warning the commercial sector that we have tools in place to identify where waste is generated, and we’re willing to take the toughest measures to achieve full compliance.”