Westmoreland Gets Extra NSWMA Trucks and Night Runs to Cut Garbage Backlog

SAVANNA-LA-MAR, Westmoreland — After months of piled-up refuse across the parish, Westmoreland may get breathing room as solid-waste crews from neighbouring St James are lent to the effort for now.

Leona Bennett, senior public cleansing inspector for Westmoreland at Western Parks and Markets (WPM) Waste Management Limited, told the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation’s monthly general meeting that four additional trucks are on the ground to help shift the build-up. WPM serves as the western regional unit of the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA).

“We had trucks from St James come down last week, this week as well; we had some yesterday and some on Friday. The [NSWMA] regional operations manager [Dramaine Jones] promised they [the trucks] will stay with us until we eliminate the outstanding backlogs from the parish. They will be with us next week as well,” Bennett said.

The extra fleet fits into a wider plan to ease collection pressure in Westmoreland. Teams have also been working longer hours. “We have heightened our night shifts as well, and people can verify that trucks have been in the area at night — main roads and communities. We are doing everything to eliminate backlogs as soon as possible,” she told councillors.

Alongside daily collection, crews continue bulky-waste round-ups and outreach to cut illegal dumping, which Bennett said still mars communities. She asked residents to play their part. “Take pride in our parish and containerise our waste. If you travel with your waste, put it in communal bins,” she urged.

Bennett said crews are pushing hard to clear streets, but fresh dumps keep appearing. “We are trying our best to eliminate the backlog as quickly as possible. Sometimes that puts strain on our resources because they are right out there in front, on main streets, and we see people from various ends putting garbage right there,” she stated.

She also updated members on the parish’s long-awaited transfer station, now in preparatory works. The facility was first announced in 2014 and has missed several timelines; the Jamaica Observer had reported it was due to open this month. At Thursday’s sitting, Bennett said the site is cleared and crews are laying base material. “Once the foundation is finalised it will be smooth sailing to build the infrastructure. We will keep you updated,” she assured the corporation.

Councillors welcomed the progress. Ian Myles (Jamaica Labour Party, Little London Division) said the station will change how refuse moves across the parish. “We know the significance of that. To hear that construction has started, I am thoroughly thrilled. Georges Plain is just a five-minute drive. To move garbage from central, western, and eastern Westmoreland, then off to Montego Bay, this will give us more opportunities to have a cleaner parish,” Myles said.