EXECUTIVE director of the National Solid Waste Management Authority, Audley Gordon says it is time for Jamaicans to take personal responsibility for the disposal of their garbage, and refrain from acting as if it is the sole responsibility of the NSWMA.

“People must take personal responsibility for their space and stop dutty up Jamaica.

“It cannot be that we are relying only on the staff of the NSWMA to keep Jamaica clean. For Jamaica to be clean everyone has to play a part, everybody has to hold up to their end of the bargain,” Gordon said.

The NSWMA head was speaking to the Jamaica Observer Thursday on Port Henderson Road in St Catherine, where the agency carried out a compliance and enforcement exercise which included the issuance of one litter ticket and 21 removal order notices.

A number of businesses, including several garages and stores that had improperly disposed of their garbage, were served with notices to have their waste removed within three days. The owners and managers of these establishments were also sensitised about how to properly dispose of their garbage.

Garbage, which was seen in a drain along the main road, was also removed by the NSWMA.

During the exercise, Gordon urged residents to refrain from throwing their waste into the drains as they are contributing to flooding when it rains.

“What we notice is that the municipal drain that runs adjacent to the Port Henderson Road… is filled with plastic bottles, foam boxes — plastic bags, box juice boxes, all the things that make for blockage of culvert when it rains.

“And when flooding occurs, it is easy to hear cries for justice and calls for help, but we must understand that, as a people, we are contributing to the flooding when we dump irresponsibly in these drains, especially in this drain along Port Henderson [Road], which is level so the flow is not as quick as it should [be] when the rain falls lightly,” he said.

“So it is important that people take responsibility for what they generate. Don’t because you just finish eating jelly coconut or finish drinking a bottle of water, you throw it in the drain without considering the consequences of that action,” he added.

The enforcement and compliance exercise, which is being done in parish capitals and town centres islandwide, is a part of the NSWMA’s sensitisation effort to encourage more Jamaicans to take part in the proper disposal of their garbage.

“Today is more about reaching out, looking at people who are not compliant, enforcing the NSWMA Act and prosecution where we [need] to, but more to keep the conversation going — because solid waste management requires that we have constant conversation with the people so that they can buy into what we are doing and take charge of their space. Notwithstanding that the Act gives us the responsibility to deal with this matter, personal responsibility has to be a part of it; we can’t be everywhere. We have to rely on participation of the public,” Gordon added.