DIRECTOR of the Mayor and City Council’s (M&CC) Solid Waste Department Walter Narine is asking residents of Georgetown to bear with the City Council during its current garbage dilemma.

Acting Town Clerk Sharon Harry had boasted about a contingency plan that would cater to the needs of residents in the event the municipality’s two main contractors pulled their services.

Five days into the strike, however, and some communities have not had their garbage cleared as per the regular schedule. Notwithstanding, the M&CC had assured that the schedule for garbage collection would remain the same.
“Residents of Georgetown, I humbly ask for your patience during this period of transition of the current Garbage situation. I assure you that before the week is over, each community will have their garbage collected,” Narine stated in a social media post.

He also assured that by next week, garbage will be collected as per the normal schedule. In an invited comment on Thursday, Public Relations Officer Debra Lewis offered that there is a buildup of garbage in some communities, and that the new contractors are now in the process of familiarising themselves with the territory.
“By Monday, everything should be back to normal,” Lewis assured, noting that the M&CC is now giving out garbage bags to the public so that in the event someone has excess waste, they can keep them in the bags and not throw them on parapets and in drains.
Lewis said the contractors are doubling up at the moment.

The M&CC has hired a new set of contractors to continue garbage collection in Georgetown, even though they claim to have no money at the moment to pay them. The contractors have reportedly expressed a willingness to work, notwithstanding the financial constraints plaguing the municipality.

Based on what Acting Town Clerk Sharon Harry told this publication, there is a stipulated period in City Hall’s arrangement with the new contractors, in which the municipality is expected to pay. She said a small percentage of what was previously owed them was agreed to be paid them before work began this time.

Narine had told this publication that following the strike, the Solid Waste Department will be clearing garbage from the business areas, along with some from Group Eight which encompasses areas such as Alberttown, Queenstown, North and South Cumminsgburg, and Kingston.

At last Monday’s statutory meeting, Councillor Gregory Fraser said he was not confident that everyone around the horseshoe table knew how to run a business. “You can’t keep running and running a business without payment,” he observed.

Councillor Andrea Marks questioned why the same money being used to pay new contractors cannot be used to pay the two main contractors so that they can continue working.
“It’s very unfair,” she said. “I have a serious problem with taking money to pay fresh contractors, when you can use the same money to pay the old contractors.”

Marks was very upset that around 200 youths who were hired by Cevons Waste Management had to be laid off, especially at this time of year, because the company cannot afford to continue paying them.
Councillor Oscar Clarke recalled that several attempts were made in the past to garner more funds, including a suggestion to ask residents to pay $100 to empty one barrel.

According to him, if councillors had pushed this recommendation, the council could have garnered some $267M for the year so far. But Clarke recalled that councilors sat there and opposed the suggestion; even Councillor Junior Garrett, whom Clarke said literally died arguing against it.