Tough action promised against Montego Bay businesses that improperly dispose of waste

 

Mayor of Montego Bay Richard Vernon says the St. James Municipal Corporation will be strong on enforcement against business operators who improperly dispose of their waste.

 

A team from the municipal corporation was in the town centre on Monday, executing another of the initiatives from the four pronged plan to ensure that businesses operating within the town centre have proper waste management protocols.

 

The corporation on Sunday embarked on its initiative, dubbed "Step Up Programme – Striving Towards Environmental Protection" geared towards the cleanliness of the city.

 

Mr. Vernon says the municipal corporation on Monday started its checking of businesses to identify their waste management systems. 

 

"We intend to go to all the businesses to check if they have the necessary waste management protocols in place, which includes the logbook to show the receipts that you have received when you gave the garbage to the collector; the contract to show that you have a formal relationship and arrangement with solid waste management authority, WPM in this particular case...or you have it with a private contractor. If you don't, then you'd have to demonstrate to us how you dispose of the garbage in a legal way," he explained. 

 

Mr. Vernon said business operators were warned that action will be taken against those who do not have proper systems in place.  

 

"We are very insistent on the enforcement aspect of it, because that is where we are falling short, you know, for many years, and that is where the gaps have been created. And we intend to ensure that upon visiting these businesses, providing that there are breaches, or they cannot provide us any evidence of how they dispose of their garbage, then we will be taking the requisite action," he vowed. 

 

The Mayor said an assessment has revealed that 80 per cent of garbage found at illegal disposal sites in the town centre belong to commercial entities.