THE NATIONAL Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) removed 1,084 derelict vehicles, clearing 230 mini-dumps totalling some 1,202 truckloads of solid waste islandwide between May and mid-July.
This was done as part of its project to keep Jamaica Nice and Clean.
MPM Chairman, Alston Stewart said the work has been carried out in major towns and urban areas islandwide. This has been accomplished through the four regional Parks and Markets Agencies: Metropolitan Parks and Markets (MPM), Western Parks and Markets (WPM), Southern Parks and Markets (SPM) and North Eastern Parks and Markets (NEPM).
He noted, however, that the authority had expected to "clear 200 per cent more derelicts than was completed particularly in Kingston and St. Andrew, but were not able to do so because these are in inner-city communities and the crews could not enter these communities because of the danger involved."
During the period, MPM, working in various sections of Kingston & St. Andrew, St. Thomas, St. Catherine and sections of Clarendon, removed 482 derelict vehicles and cleared 14 mini-dumps accounting for 439 truckloads of solid waste.
The areas covered include Spanish Town Road, Mountain View Avenue, Marcus Garvey Drive, Waltham Park Road, Greenwich Town and sections of Vineyard Town in Kingston; and Red Hills, Mannings Hill and Waterloo Roads, Washington Boulevard and Patrick Drive in St. Andrew. MPM work crews cleared some 60 locations in Kingston and St. Andrew alone.
In St. Catherine the crews worked in communities such as Greater Portmore, Caymanas Gardens, Bridgeport, Waterford, Greendale, Ensom City and Central Village, as well as in the Portmore Town Centre, along the Gregory Park main road and the Spanish Town Bypass removing 257 derelict vehicles and clearing 6 mini-dumps. In St. Thomas, the MPM crews cleaned verges along several main roads including the Bull Bay main road and the Lyssons to Port Morant road, while in Clarendon they removed litter and debris from the Sir Alexander Bustamante Highway, the Hayes main road and the Heights Roundabout.
In Western Jamaica, the WPM removed 473 derelict vehicles and cleared 128 mini-dumps in the parishes of St. James, Westmoreland, Hanover and Trelawny. In St. James the agency worked in the main urban areas as well as in outlying communities to remove 229 derelict vehicles and cleared 89 mini-dumps.
The roads and communities included the Retirement Road, Barnett Lane, Creek Street, Catherine Hall, the Lilliput, Rosehall, Jarrett Park, and Bogue main roads, as well as Melbourne, Brandon Hill and Rose Heights.
Over 50 roads and communities in St. James were cleared during the period.
The NSWMA Chairman noted that in Westmoreland, WPM succeeded in clearing 72 derelict vehicles and 3 mini-dumps from this parish. The work completed also included bushing and cleaning of curb channels. The WPM crews targeted some 33 roads and communities including Negril West End, Dunbars River, Strathbogie, Edgecombe, Chantilly, Paradise, Smithfield and Whitehouse.
In Hanover the work consisted of removing 108 derelict vehicles and clearing 35 mini-dumps from 15 roads and communities including Hanover Street, Lords Playfield, Haughton Gardens, Cedar Walk, Green Island and Russeas Road.
Sixty-four derelict vehicles were removed by WPM from 17 roads and communities in Trelawny including the border of St. James to Falmouth mainroad, Rio Bueno to Duncans mainroad and Hanover, Trelawny and Wellington Streets in the parish.
Over in the Southern section of the island, SMP removed six derelict vehicles from four roadways in Manchester. The agency also removed 27 derelict vehicles from seven roads and cleared 3 mini-dumps from St. Elizabeth.
The NEPM removed a total of 96 derelict vehicles from the North-eastern region's streets. These included ten in St. Mary, 38 in St. Ann and 48 in Portland. With respect to clearing debris and mini-dumps the NEPM removed six in St. Mary, 55 in St. Ann and 20 in Portland.
Mr. Stewart said that the regional parks and markets agencies would continue the project to keep communities clean as needed but urged citizens, particularly those in inner city communities, "to do their part in keeping their environment clean by developing good waste disposal habits and allowing our work crews to clear the derelict vehicles and waste from their communities".
He emphasised that this was vital, as the work of the authority could only succeed if individuals and communities dispose of their waste in a responsible manner that preserves and protects the environment.
