The National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) is reopening the tender process for additional garbage compactor trucks and will attempt to have the process expedited so the trucks can arrive by early next year (2024).
The 50 compactor trucks received in November 2022 have been making headway in clearing the backlog of garbage. The addition of these units has increased the Authority’s fleet to 85 but ideally, 150 trucks are needed.
The Authority is satisfied that the procurement process has resulted in the best truck for its money and that the SHACMAN units received last year are the best performing units it has had in recent times.
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NSWMA Boosting Its Fleet to Improve Garbage Collection
The National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) is reopening the tender process for additional garbage compactor trucks and will attempt to have the process expedited so the trucks can arrive by early next year (2024).
The 50 compactor trucks received in November 2022 have been making headway in clearing the backlog of garbage. The addition of these units has increased the Authority’s fleet to 85 but ideally, 150 trucks are needed.
The Authority is satisfied that the procurement process has resulted in the best truck for its money and that the SHACMAN units received last year are the best performing units it has had in recent times.
The NSWMA has an arrangement with the dealers to service the vehicles, which is written in the contract, and this will ensure that they are properly maintained.
The acquisition of the new units is expected to boost the collection of garbage, particularly in the Corporate Area of Kingston and St. Andrew as well as the city of Montego Bay in St. James, which together, account for over 80 per cent of residences.
These areas have seen a backlog in collection in recent times due to the compactor trucks of private garbage collectors being out of service.
Collections have also been slowed by the recent rains, which caused a buildup of traffic, access to communities and the landfills due to road conditions, coupled with the failure of households to containerise garbage.
Householders are advised to properly bag, tie and place household waste in a container/receptacle for collection, and to keep meat scraps frozen until collection day to minimise odor from decomposition.
Waste must be easily accessible to sanitation workers and storage receptacles should be at the front of the lot or house where it can be accessed easily on a 24/7 basis by collection crews.
Ensure that the bottom of the waste container is pierced, and they should be structurally sound so as not to cause injury or pose a threat to the physical safety of sanitation workers.
In the meantime, persons can now drop off their e-waste at any of the four NSWMA’s regional offices or its head office located at 61 Half-Way Tree Road, Kingston 10.
The four regional offices are MPM Waste Management Limited at 67a Hagley Road, Kingston 10; WPM Waste Management Limited at 1a LOJ Commercial Centre, Montego Bay; SPM Waste Management Limited at 4a Mandeville Plaza, Manchester; and NEPM Waste Management Limited at 2 Stormont Road, New Buckfield, Ocho Rios, St. Ann.
E-waste is electronic products that are unwanted, not working, and nearing or at the end of their useful life. Currently, persons dispose of their e-waste by throwing it in the regular garbage but the Authority wants this practice to stop.
A new box body truck was purchased and branded to do e-waste collection across the island and collection from the various facilities will be done based on demand. As part of its public education strategy, the NSWMA will create and distribute a pamphlet outlining the types of items being targeted for the e-waste collection programme.
Currently, Jamaica generates an estimated 1.4 million tonnes of garbage annually, the vast majority of which goes to one of the eight landfills across the country.
This NSWMA, which is an entity under the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development (MLGCD), is charged with the management of solid waste, which involves collection, storage, transportation, recycling and disposal.
It's mandated is to safeguard public health, while helping to create an environment that is healthy and aesthetically pleasing for both residents and visitors.
