KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) says it is finalising plans for a contractual arrangement with a private waste management operator to remove garbage in the Corporate Area.

In a release on Tuesday, Mayor of Kingston, Senator Councillor Delroy Williams, disclosed that under the arrangement, the operator will “roam the streets” and ensure that specific areas are cleared of waste regularly.

Williams was addressing the Corporation’s Annual Shelter Management Conference last Thursday.

The Mayor shared that this development will ensure that the public spaces are kept clean noting that the issue of garbage collection is getting attention by the Government, and regular pickup will be improved.

Mayor Williams further indicated that the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) is addressing improper disposal and infrequent collections, and the KSAMC is playing its part in mobilising funds and expertise to help tackle the problem. He also reported that a trapping and extracting system is now in place at four gullies to prevent plastics from entering the Kingston Harbour, and this will be expanded to the eight other gullies.

Under the partnership, involving the KSAMC, GraceKennedy Foundation, and others, interceptor barriers have been placed at the mouths of gullies, which trap and remove plastic bottles, Styrofoam containers, bagged waste, and large household appliances.

The system is most effective during wet months, when rainwater pushes debris down the gullies, but the interceptor barriers will remain in place throughout the year.