Even with the city council’s garbage trucks non-functional, the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) has refused to approve the hiring of a sixth contractor to remove the garbage currently accumulating in the commercial areas as well as in Alberttown and Queenstown.
At yesterday’s statutory council meeting, Solid Waste Director Walter Narine once again informed the councillors that the city’s current management of its solid waste is less than ideal. “The situation at Stabroek Market is becoming alarming,” he said as he stressed that although the small contractors currently working with council try their best, Alberttown, Queenstown and some parts of the commercial district have not had waste collected for the week.
Narine explained that these areas are actually the responsibility of his department but since the few pieces of equipment allocated to the department have been used non-stop for four months, they have all malfunctioned and are currently in the workshop. “The one garbage truck we have was working 5 am to 10 pm for six days a week, from November 26 to last week when the truck completely shut down,” he explained, before noting that this is concerning since a compactor which had been placed in front of the Stabroek Market is also in the workshop for repair.
