By Vanessa Braithwaite

THE garbage-collection and disposal operations by Cevon’s Waste Management in Linden have not been welcomed by the Mayor and Town Council and the Regional Democratic Council (RDC), as concerns are being raised over the issue of what appears to be “illegal disposal.” Regional councillors on Thursday had their say on the issue at the RDC’s statutory meeting and made it clear that the contractual agreement between the company and the previous Regional Executive Officer (REO) through the then Ministry of Local Government did not give the municipality an opportunity to have a say on the issue.
The contract that was signed in 2014 which legally allows Cevon’s Waste Management to operate in Linden did not go too well with the M&TC, but the company was fully backed by the then Ministry of Local Government.
Councillor Charles Sampson, who was an M&TC councillor at the time, said that there was nothing the RDC nor the municipality could have done, since Cevon’s is a private company operating under a private arrangement with the residents of Linden to dispose of their garbage. When the matter came up with the council, there was widespread disagreement and that was made clear to the ministry.
Cevon’s Waste service was welcomed by the residents of Linden after the municipality’s garbage-collection system became unreliable. “It didn’t come through this council, because at that time, because if it had come through this Council, we were here in the old council and we would have objected to it,” Sampson said. The councillor said that the municipality had the responsibility to collect residents’ garbage.

Illegal Disposal
Regional Executive Officer Gavin Clarke reiterated that the RDC cannot stop the company from collecting garbage, but they can be held accountable for “illegal disposal” in the town.
He said that while a contract had been signed for garbage collection, one was not signed for the operation of a dumpsite as a sanitary landfill has certain specifications.
“If those specifications are not met we have a right as a council to terminate the contract,” he said. Recent allegations have been made against Cevon’s Waste by Wisroc residents who are saying that the company is dumping garbage at the community’s watershed area.
While many residents are benefiting from the garbage-collection service, Wisroc residents are being affected adversely and they are afraid that the water will become polluted and unsafe for use. With this being deemed an illegal dumpsite, Regional Chairman Renis Morian said that legal action will be taken against the garbage-disposal company.
“I am asking Cevon’s Waste on behalf of the region and the residents to stop dumping garbage there because legal action will be taken against them,” he declared. The Regional Chairman said that the situation started before he took office but it will not be allowed to continue under his watch.
He said he will be sending correspondence to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to have this situation remedied. “We want to promote a green environment and to promote a green environment, we have to put garbage disposal management under a separate programme and to look at the whole business of garbage disposal comprehensively,” he said.