Fresh Appeal Ahead of Carnival

Details

Antigua Lifestyle

Saturday, 14 July 2012 02:30

By D Francis

Antigua St. John’s - Although authorities are making a concerted effort to curb indiscriminate disposal of waste, the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSMWA) continues to face a challenge especially in areas where scores of people congregate daily.

Concerns have been raised about the build-up of garbage which seems to find a home on the ground in the vicinity of the East Bus Station in recent times.

One woman who uses the public bus system in the area told caribarena.com “it’s really messy and smelly, I mean all that garbage just pile up on the ground in an area like this; this cannot be right.”

Caribarena.com contacted NSWMA’s Marketing Manager and Education Officer, Avna Baronville, who said this has been a problem area for some time now. She further pointed out that the recurring unauthorised removal of these bins is what is exacerbating the problem.

“We’ve placed bins time and time again at the East Bus Station area and people just steal the bins, some people have them outside their homes openly. I mean, we don’t give bins to private homes and we’ve even received reports of some even using the receptacles filled with water to wash down cars.”

Baronville said they’ve instructed their haulers that wherever they see these bins with the solid waste tag to take them with no questions asked.

She said they will be placing three more receptacles in the vicinity of the East Bus Station in anticipation of the increased traffic expected there over the Carnival period.

“And I am appealing again to the public not to take up these bins for your personal use. Please, if anyone sees these bins anywhere they are not suppose to be,  please call us at 562-1347 so we can go and get them,” Baronville said.

Garbage is collected at the East Bus Station area and St. John’s proper twice daily, morning and afternoon, but a third collection will be added over the Carnival period.

The principal services of the National Solid Waste Management Authority relate to the storage, collection, transportation and disposal of waste.

In providing for the proper storage of waste the authority has and still provides storage containers for public utilization.

The containers are primarily metal skips and plastic bins.

These containers are principally located at strategic areas in St. John’s.

• < Prev