The Tribune

By MORGAN ADDERLEY

Tribune Staff Reporter

madderley@tribunemedia.net

THE Ministry of Environment will be releasing an app that will allow users to track garbage collection, Director of Environmental Health Services Melanie McKenzie said yesterday.

Although Ms McKenzie could not say when this app will be released, she did confirm that on April 1, a schedule detailing the boundaries and dates for garbage collection will be published. She added this schedule will also provide the public with the sanitation companies’ names and their phone numbers.

Ms McKenzie’s comments came in the wake of a Graham Avenue resident complaining about garbage collection in his neighbourhood. The resident, Reginald Eldon, said after residents went nearly two weeks without collection, they were informed that two different companies were contracted to collect garbage on either side of the narrow street.

Mr Eldon expressed dissatisfaction at this arrangement, citing one half of the neighbourhood has experienced regular garbage collection while the other half has suffered garbage build-up and offensive stenches.

“The people that I talked to at the ministry said the garbage is now being handled according to boundaries and that…my side of the road is on one boundary and that side of the road is on another boundary,” Mr Eldon told The Tribune yesterday, pointing to the opposite side of the street. However, he noted how narrow the road is.

“I’m just pleading for some understanding to make sure we have garbage collected at least once a week and we know what day that is,” he continued.

“The permanent secretary (of environment and housing) told me that they’re going to publish in the papers the outline of where the routes are and which days we’re going to be serviced, and that’s going to come shortly…she said it is being worked on.”

Ms McKenzie confirmed to The Tribune yesterday that DEHS does have a boundary system for garbage collection in place.

“A boundary is a boundary,” she said. “I mean no matter where the boundary was, some roads would have, the left would belong to one contractor and the right would belong to someone else, yes.

“If there is an issue with it, it’s not with the boundary, it would have to be that (the resident) didn’t get collection.”

Ms McKenzie affirmed that a schedule is coming and announced the app. “We’re releasing a schedule…April 1,” she said. “It shows you the boundaries and the schedule….it also gives you the name of the company and their phone numbers.

“And the ministry will be releasing an app, that you can go on the app and actually touch on and see where you are and when your collection date is. But I don’t know the date of release for that one.”

Mr Eldon sent a letter to this newspaper on March 18 detailing the frustration residents of Graham Avenue have experienced with garbage collection.

“Prior to the recent change in contracts Graham Avenue was served efficiently and well in the early hours of Monday mornings (between 2 – 3am). It was dependable and orderly,” Mr Eldon wrote. “Since the change was introduced and new contracts issued and additional garbage trucks were assigned it has been a nightmare.”

Mr Eldon said the community went 13 days without garbage collection. On the 14th day, a garbage truck came and collected the rubbish.

“The very next day another (different company) garbage truck came. All of the bins in the neighbourhood were empty. I personally talked with the driver of the garbage truck who told me he was following orders and I should call the office.”

Mr Eldon added another seven days without garbage collection passed. “On the eighth day, a garbage truck came and all garbage bins were pulled from the holding areas as is the custom now. However, the men working on the truck told us that they were only collecting garbage from the left side of the road and even though they had pulled our bins out, they refused to empty them.

“My two neighbours also spoke with the men asking them to take their garbage, but to no avail. I’ve purchased gallons of bleach and Pinesol to help deal with the stench.”

Mr Eldon added he contacted officials in the ministry and was assured that the garbage would be collected on March 18.

That day, he said, “a garbage truck came through Graham Avenue. We were all excited until they informed those of us living on the right-hand side of the road that they were only there to collect garbage from the residents on the left side of the road.

“My neighbour rolled her garbage bin over to the left-hand side of the road, hoping she could out manoeuvre the garbage collectors, only to have the men on the garbage truck roll her full and running over garbage bin right back to her side of the road and there they left it.

When The Tribune visited yesterday, Mr Eldon noted the garbage on his side of the street had been collected that morning.