Solid Waste Overwhelmed by Derelict Vehicles; Cabinet Appeals for Public Assistance
Director General of Communications Maurice Merchant says the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) has been overwhelmed by the large number of derelict vehicles across Antigua and Barbuda and is calling on citizens and private contractors to help remove them.
Speaking during Thursday’s post-Cabinet press briefing, Merchant said that while the ongoing national cleanup campaign has made visible progress, the effort to clear abandoned cars and trucks has outpaced the authority’s capacity.
He said the National Solid Waste and all of its service providers were overwhelmed by the amount of garbage that needed to be removed from certain areas, and that derelict vehicles in particular had stretched the agency’s resources.
Merchant said Cabinet has instructed the Solid Waste Authority to enlist the help of individuals and businesses with flatbeds, lowboys and other heavy-duty equipment to accelerate removals.
The government hopes to conduct simultaneous cleanups in multiple communities, including drain clearing and grass-cutting, rather than focusing on one district at a time.
He added that many vehicles have already been marked for collection, but because of the magnitude of the problem, there has been some delay in removing them from various areas.
The cleanup effort will continue year-round, following October’s National Cleanup Month, as part of the government’s broader drive to beautify the country and promote public health.
Merchant said Prime Minister Gaston Browne has stressed that a clean environment is essential to Antigua and Barbuda’s image as a leading tourism destination and to national pride.
He noted that the Prime Minister is “very gung-ho on this whole cleaning up of the nation,” adding that the country must be clean if it intends to be an economic powerhouse.
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