Poor garbage collection worries Steer Town residents

Shanna Monteith, Gleaner Writer

Residents of Steer Town, St Ann are worried about the health risks to which they are being exposed because of poor garbage collection in their community.

One resident told The Gleaner/Power 106 News Centre that garbage had been piling up close to her yard for over two months before it was collected this morning.

According to Patricia Howell, she is extremely concerned about the health of her family, including two babies and a pregnant woman.

Chairman of the National Solid Waste Management Authority NSWMA, Dennis Chung, has apologised to the residents, saying the two month delay in collecting the garbage is inexcusable.

Chung says the issue is usually due to a failure to reassign garbage trucks when some units become faulty.

He says the NSWMA is working to collect garbage in all areas at least once per week.