Dear Editor,
Both private contractors and the NDC of LBI/Better Hope garbage collectors collect and take away garbage from resident taxpayers’ homes from LBI to Better Hope on the East Coast of Demerara faithfully every two or three weeks, respectively.
The differences between these two services are the private contractors arrive the day before the NDC collectors and collect at a fee. One male person collects the bins and rolls them to the truck then empties the contents in it, smell or no smell. It takes a maximum of three persons. That is one driver and two porters to efficiently discharge this operation in less than fifteen minutes.
The private contractors have a driver of the vehicle, someone who collects the fee and assists one porter who collects the bins and empties them in the garbage truck efficiently, hygienically and effectively. That is three persons’ work!
On the other hand when the NDC collector comes equipped with gloves and boots, these days they appear the day immediately after the private contractors have already come and gone. The council collectors are equipped with a driver of the tractor and five collectors/porters. Because they timed themselves to come on the days immediately after the private contractors had come and left, they collect nothing or a minuscule amount of garbage, and just cruise through the villages. That is six persons.
The cost to the ratepayers is thus: cost of operating a tractor trailer, a driver and five collectors, who have nothing to collect. They just drive through the villages of Better Hope to LBI and if they want they collect selectively from whom they want to.
Another point to note as a taxpayer is that the usual council tractor/trailer of this NDC council, that is owned by the council is currently being repaired by a council worker, while currently the council hires at taxpayers’ expense a private truck for its collection obligation.
What a waste of taxpayers’ money.
Yours faithfully,
(Name and address provided)
