A WEEK after the gates  to the New Amsterdam landfill site were closed, the contractor has given a commitment to have it reopened, Town Clerk Sharon Alexander told reporters in Berbice on Monday.

This commitment came after a telephone call was made by the Town Clerk on Monday morning to the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development.

Two hours later, the gates were reopened, and vehicles were awaiting their turn to dump garbage from their overflowing trailers.

Earlier, garbage was piled just beyond the gate, making it difficult to access the site on foot.

Residents of New Amsterdam wantonly dump their waste, creating several illegal dumping sites along the main thoroughfares and within Mount Sinai, commonly referred to as Angoy’s Avenue.

Piles of garbage could also be seen in designated areas along the roadway and other illegal dumping sites as Municipal Environment Health staffers grapple with ways to dispose the mountainous waste synonymous with festive cleanings.

The scheduled collection of garbage from residents, and the daily clearing of ‘skip’ bins were stalled, as there was no alternative disposal method which could have been adapted. To this end, there was an increase in telephone calls to the Environmental Health Department, as residents needed answers to address the potential health hazard.

“The Council wishes to inform the citizenry of development regarding the landfill site at Esplanade. During 2020, the contract which was initially given to Cevon’s Management concluded. Thereafter, a new contract ($49,000,000) for maintaining the site was issued to Valz Construction during the earlier months of 2021.

“The contractor had commenced work, but as the year progressed to the end, the Mayor and Town Council was informed that the machinery had malfunctioned.  The site was then closed without any information being forwarded to the relevant authorities.

“We are currently working with the Sanitation Unit of the Ministry of Local Government with regards to the current contractor on the way forward. We apologise for the inconveniences incurred during the festive season. It is beyond the council. We await word from the Ministry of Local Government,” the Town Clerk told reporters.

That aside, the Guyana Chronicle was reliably informed that the original contract was sub-contracted to a company, and due to a falling out over payment, the sub-contractor downed tools.

Meanwhile, Environmental Health Assistant Salima Outar, while noting that the facility had been inaccessible since December 27, 2021, expressed regret to the residents.