City Council to stop collecting business waste for free come May

Come May, businesses in the Capital may have to find alternative means of garbage collection and disposal.

Solid Waste Director at City Hall, Walter Narine says the City will have to engage members of the business community on the way forward regarding their garbage collection.

During an engagement with members of the media today (Wednesday, March 29, 2017), Mr Narine explained that about 67 percent of the waste collected daily comes from businesses, and with the high cost for waste removal, there will have to be some changes.

According to Mr  Narine, the City currently expends some $1.8 M each week on garbage collection, two percent of which comes from the rates and taxes paid by businesses. This, he says is grossly inadequate and the municipality can no longer carry the bill.

“If you look at the rates and taxes that these businesses remit to the municipality…a mere two percent of that rates and taxes goes towards solid waste management,” he said.

The Director of Solid Waste is also calling out businesses for their non-compliance to proper waste disposal guidelines. According to these guidelines, each business is required to have a four cubic metre receptacle.

Narine explained that “many of them, almost all don’t have the requisite waste receptacle and if you traverse Regent Street or Robb Street or Avenue of the Republic on a morning before eight o’clock before the garbage truck passes, they all put their refuse on Regent Street or Robb Street without a waste receptacle.”