Scavenger's paradise

The Kingston Harbour seems to be the second-largest garbage dump in the Corporate Area. Riverton City is the first.

The harbour, lined with garbage, is home to items such as plastic bottles (which top the list), old appliances, tyres, plastic bags and raw sewage mixed with a high stench. Many would wonder where the garbage comes from, so I decided to rove the Corporate Area gullies. The first stop was the Cassava Piece gully, the one dancehall deejay Mavado sings about. Mavado was not in sight, but the garbage that residents of the area dump inside the gully should make him sing another tune.

My second stop was by Ackee Walk. There, I saw several crows being kept busy as if they were being paid to clean that area. The lower side looked like an entire mango tree was cut down and dumped there, waiting to be washed away by heavy rain.

My next stop was the gully which separates Drewsland and a section of Waterhouse, which was in a similar condition to that of Cassava Piece. After checking a few more gullies in the Corporate Area, I conclude that the gullies are the main transport for garbage in the Kingston Harbour. Each year, different environmental bodies try to clean the Kingston coastline, but are the authorities doing enough to bring a halt to this practice?

Photos and text by Norman Grindley/Chief Photographer