Increased garbage collection for the holiday season

For the next eight weeks, the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) of Georgetown has arranged for four constituencies to receive two garbage collections per week to facilitate the increase in garbage generated in these communities.

Constituency Eight takes in Wortmanville, Werk-en-Rust and Stabroek); 10, Albouystown and Charlestown; 11, East and West La Penitence; and 13, East and West Ruimveldt.

“These constituencies generate a lot more garbage generally than the other constituencies, more particularly around the Christmas season,” Head of Solid Waste Management Walter Narine said on Thursday.

He was speaking at a press conference with Georgetown Mayor Alfred Mentore and Councillor Clayton Hinds.

“All constituencies receive one collection per week; we have increased this to two collections per week for these four constituencies. This initiative started on November 27 and will conclude on January 25 which is eight weeks,” Narine explained.

This initiative is reportedly costing the Council $8M more on top of the $21M that it spends on garbage collection per month.

Other constituencies are known for producing bulkier waste around this season such as Constituencies One (Kingston/Cummingsburg, Queenstown), Three (Bel Air Gardens, Bel Air Springs, Prashad Nagar, East and North Campbellville), Four (Lamaha Gardens, Newtown, Campbellville), Nine (Lodge, Meadow Brook Gardens) and 12 (Tucville, North Ruimveldt).

Not only will these communities benefit from household collection during the eight weeks, but will also have their bulky and parapet waste removed. If such is not picked up on the designated day of collection, it will be collected on the Friday of the same week, Narine explained.

Meanwhile, the M&CC said the real culprits behind the practice of homeless people dumping garbage on city streets and parapets are residents themselves who pay such ones and give them their garbage to remove.

Those found guilty are being charged in court, but both Mayor Alfred Mentore and Head of Solid Waste Management Walter Narine said there is more need for education on the littering laws in place so that a much-needed culture shift can happen.