Garbage crisis looms

WESTERN BUREAU:

Each morning, garbage trucks groan out of Savanna-la-Mar and Negril in Westmoreland, their diesel engines burdened by the weight of household refuse and commercial waste. Their destination, the Retirement Disposal Site in neighbouring St James that lies nearly 70 miles away, a journey that can take hours

For the drivers, the journey is routine. For the parish, it’s a symbol of systemic neglect because, after more than a decade of discussion, Westmoreland remains without a solid waste transfer station.

Such a facility, public health experts and local officials say, could transform the parish’s garbage management and restore environmental order to one of Jamaica’s most-visited regions.

At last Thursday’s general meeting of the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation (WMC), the issue resurfaced with renewed urgency, with Chief Public Health Inspector Steve Morris saying it’s untenable.

“This remains a perennial problem,” Morris said. “We had reached the stage where plans were drawn, lands identified, and assurances were given by the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development for the construction of a transfer station. Yet, nothing has materialised.”

UNSUSTAINABLE

He warned that without the facility, Westmoreland’s garbage system will continue to buckle under the weight of inefficiency. The latter, he said, could impact public health issues.

“Our current arrangement is unsustainable,” Morris said. “The transfer station would allow waste to be compacted and moved in bulk, reducing transportation costs, fuel consumption, and wear on the National Solid Waste Management Authority’s (NSWMA) fleet. It is not simply an infrastructural convenience; it is an operational necessity.”

Danree Delancy, chairman of the WMC and mayor of Savanna-la-Mar, echoed the concern, citing firsthand experience.

“I’ve seen it, garbage trucks stuck for hours between Shettlewood and Anchovy on a stretch [roadway] that should take minutes,” Delancy said. “Every delay has a cascading effect. It means garbage isn’t being collected on time elsewhere, and the public feels the impact.”

He noted that Westmoreland’s trucks now travel nearly 68 miles one way to offload at Retirement, a burden he called “untenable” for the ageing fleet.

“We cannot continue to ask these trucks to do what they were never designed for,” Delancy said. “The result is breakdowns, service gaps, and mounting frustration among residents.”

ORIGINAL PROPOSAL

Under the original proposal, the transfer station – which would be located in Frome, central Westmoreland – would serve as a central hub where smaller collection trucks could unload waste into larger containers. These containers are capable of holding up to five times the load of a conventional truck and would then be transported to Retirement.

Morris explained that the design would not only improve efficiency, but extend the life of the NSWMA’s fleet and significantly reduce operational costs.

“This would revolutionise solid waste management in Westmoreland,” he said. “The benefits are both economic and environmental.”

BUREAUCRACY

Amid repeated calls for action, the project remains mired in bureaucracy – a situation that has left Morris and Delancy frustrated by what they describe as a persistent lack of communication and follow-through from both the Ministry of Local Government and the NSWMA.

“We have sought answers repeatedly,” said Delancy, “But the response has been silence. Westmoreland deserves clarity and commitment. We cannot continue to function like this.”

Delancy added that while councillors remain committed the issue, progress depends on ministerial intervention and prioritisation at the national level.

“We must advocate collectively,” the mayor insisted. “The health of our environment and the dignity of our communities depend on it, and without decisive action, Jamaica’s western gateway may find itself buried under the weight of its own neglect.”

albert.ferguson@gleanerjm.com