Public urged to stop being nasty

Executive Director of the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA), Audley Gordon, is raising alarm over what he says is the eroding sense of civic pride among Jamaicans when it comes to keeping their communities clean.

"It's most unfortunate that as a people, we don't seem to exhibit the kind of civic pride that we would have inherited from our foreparents," Gordon told THE WEEKEND STAR.

"I grew up in a Jamaica, where it was cool to clean up your space. Now, we more rely on some state agency to come and do the clean-up for us."

According to him, it's become too common for persons to dispose of everything, from lunch boxes to old fridges, on roadways, in gullies, and even in the bushes.

"It's not cool for us to have an old mattress or an old fridge and we find a little empty lot and we leave it on the side of the road. It's not cool. We really have to do better," he said.

But while officials continue to push the message of proper waste disposal, the people living with the mess are fed up. In Trowers, Manchester, for example, residents bemoan the presence of an illegal dump that has sprung up in recent times.

"This area here used to be a route for Alpart company, and since them stop use it as a route, people start come dump things over here," one frustrated resident said.

He said dumping has been going on for years, but got worse when a nearby bridge, once a popular dump spot, became inaccessible.

He said the illegal dump in Trowers is not only an eyesore, but it has been hurting small farmers like himself.

"Small farmers like me rely on the grass weh grow here fi feed animals, so it is an inconvenience to people."

"All who a dump deh, dem nuh care because it's kind of a lonely area. Dem just come from all 'bout [to] come throw all sort a thing. See it deh, bed and old fridge; machine deh in deh now."

The resident shared that the area was recently cleaned, but soon after, people began dumping there again.

Meanwhile, Gordon said the NSWMA is tackling the problem from multiple angles, including public education campaigns and partnerships with the private sector to distribute garbage drums to communities. Still, he believes "Jamaicans must be part of the solution".

"Jamaica's beauty is our collective duty. We need the community playing their part. We probably will never succeed if we don't get the support of the residents out there," he said.