Five persons, including two business owners in New Amsterdam have been fined $25,000 each for illegally dumping garbage and Mayor-elect Wainwright McIntosh has issued a stern warning to residents and businesses within the township.
Paula Soloman, Sergeant with the council’s constabulary department explained that the five persons were fined between May – June. She said, the highest fine which can be issued is $100,000 but since they were first-time offenders they were fined $25,000 each.
McIntosh at a press conference called by the New Amsterdam Mayor and Town Council yesterday explained, that a minister was present to turn the sod for a new building in the town, and at the location, they were met with the “indiscriminate dumping along that road shoulders there.”
He said the schedule for the day was immediately interrupted “so as to clean that area up.” McIntosh stressed that he thought it was unfair for the workers, stressing that “while we are servicing residential waste, it is policy that every household should have in their possession a garbage receptacle. Additionally, there is the municipal dumpsite.”
According to McIntosh, for whatever reason residents are not using the dumpsite but prefer to “dispose of their garbage in an illegal way.”
In issuing a stern warning for residents to stop dumping garbage, McIntosh said, “Now my stance is very simple I’m here to ensure residents of the town of New Amsterdam get the service they are so deserving of and so while we are having issues in the health department we are trying our utmost to ensure services are rendered to residents.”
According to him, presently they are using two machines – a compactor truck and a tractor with a trailer – “We cannot be in every area at the same time hence there is a schedule and once every home has the garbage receptacle we will ensure those receptacles are serviced in a timely manner.”
He continued, “I say this to say that we will not be condoning indiscriminate dumping, we would have cleaned up along the Strand Area.
We have one more site to clear… So what I am asking is for residents to be more responsible because we will be holding you accountable.”
He added that he wants to have a cordial relationship with the residents of New Amsterdam as he called on them to play a role in the development of the town. “We must curb this trend and practice of illegal dumping,” he said as he then asked residents to inform the council about those that are illegally dumping garbage in and around the town.
The council will meet for the first time since elections on Monday and McIntosh stressed that following that meeting they will be launching a campaign to combat the illegal dumping of garbage within the town.
