Garbage strewn at the side of the road in Blue Hills near the Affordable Housing Scheme

Occupiers of the Government's Affordable Housing Scheme and residents living in close proximity to that settlement in the Blue Hills area, are fearful that their premises may soon be overrun by rats, roaches and other diseases-chauffeuring pests in the wake of the wanton disposal of garbage by unscrupulous individuals.

Some residents, who called The SUN's attention to the pollution of their community, said such activities have been taking place for months. They said the unlawful disposal of refuse appeared to have been carried out at nights, early mornings or during the day when persons are at work, as the perpetrators are seldom spotted carrying out their unconscionable acts.

When this newspaper arrived in the community and before being exhausted from counting, we numbered no fewer than thirty different dumping spots, varying in sizes and contents. Some of the illegal garbage sites are obvious to the naked eye since they are smacked at the side of the roadway, while others are located in bushes along the stretch of road and in the vicinity of dwellings.

The garbage dumps comprise industrial and domestic refuse; from old refrigerators, sofas, television sets, carpets, air condition units, water heaters, used diapers, Styrofoam boxes, drinking water containers, detergent containers to empty drink and liquor bottles.

At least two sites showed apparent evidence of being cleaned, but were once again taken over by the illegal dumpers. Residents expressed grave concern regarding the lawlessness with which people dump their garbage in their community, saying that they carried out their illegal acts with impunity.

“The garbage at the side of the road is so unsightly, I wonder who in their right mind would dump their wastes at the side of the road like that,” one lady told this newspaper. “Next thing you know is that our homes will start to be infested with roaches, rats and other insects that carry diseases. I think that these people should be properly monitored by the authorities because they put our lives in danger.”

When contacted, Kenrick Neely, Deputy Director of the Department of Environmental Health, said the penalty for illegal disposing of garbage is a fine of $500 or six months in prison or $500 and six months in prison.

He said the incidence of illegal dumping has become a headache for the Environmental Health Department, as since lately investigators from that office were unable to apprehend the violators, because they leave no clue in their wastes to trace back to them, as was the case in the past where they left envelopes with names and addresses.

He said the illegal dumping was also affecting Government coffers, since money, which could be used in other areas had to be pumped into cleaning up after the illegal dumpers.

“It is getting difficult, and has become a burden on the department, because the department has to take the same guys that you see cleaning the streets and dispatch them to these illegal dumping areas, and if it is a big area we have to hire heavy equipment, and that is eating at our budget and eating at our funds that we have. The Government is spending a large amount of money on illegal dumping and the cleaning of this country. And as we clean, people are going right back there and dispose their garbage again,” Neely said.

While thanking the local media in general for its role in educating the public on the importance of keeping their environment pristine, Neely said it is the hope that those who continue to dump their garbage at undesignated locations will desist from doing so.