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Put your garbage in a bin, it’s the law!
That is the strong message coming from Public Relations Officer of the Sanitation Service Authority (SSA), Carl Padmore to homeowners as the authority seeks to alert the public that it is illegal to place garbage on the ground.
He explained that the Health Services Collections and Disposal of Refuse Regulation Act spoke to the fact that householders and those who own property should have a bin on their premises. That bin, he said, should not exceed four cubic feet and must carry a suitable cover and weighing between 25 and 35 pounds.?? The bin must have holes at the bottom to prevent the settlement of water.
"This is a law that we believe needs to be enforced and it concerns us at the SSA because people are still taking the garbage outside and putting it next to the road, "leaving it to attract vectors, dogs and stray cats that would then scatter it throughout neighbourhoods..
"We want to encourage persons to recognise that by placing it in a secure bin it speaks to concern for the environment, and makes it easier for our lorry loaders as we come to clean the districts. We are on a campaign to push the idea of ???get a bin, it’s the law’… Mr. Padmore stated.
He explained the problem was very widespread throughout Barbados, especially in older developments where people simply did not know. Mr. Padmore added that such areas as Coverley, Christ Church and Country Road Towers, St. Michael, had provisions in place for garbage bins and for them to be emptied.
However, the PRO made it clear that it was not just a matter of getting a bin, but also of ensuring that it was the recommended size so it could be easily lifted. "A manageable weight is between 25 to 35 pounds," he said.
He also mentioned that the SSA still had concerns about people not sorting garbage as they should for collection. He stated that while the SSA had seen a reduction in the number of hypodermic needles being placed in garbage bags, they were still finding faeces, broken glass and dead animals.
Mr. Padmore further encouraged householders to sort their garbage for recycling purposes to make it easier to sort when it reached the Sustainable Barbados Recycling Centre Inc. "It resounds to less garbage going through the landfill," he said.
There has been a 70 per cent diversion of solid waste from the landfill over the last three years.