By Jeff TrotmanLinden householders will have to pay $300 to have their domestic waste collected and transported to a landfill site following an agreement signed by the Region Ten Democratic Council (RDC), and Cevon’s Waste Management on December 19, last.The agreement is for ten years and came into effect on January 2, last. It is renewable based on satisfactory performance of the contractor.However, the collection, transportation and disposal of solid waste under the agreement has not begun since Lindeners were not informed of the new arrangement until there was a discussion on the NCN Programme ‘What You Need to Know’.One of the terms of the agreement is that there should be adequate public awareness and information on the new waste disposal regime before it goes into effect.The RDC and the Contractor were expected to notify residents of the services to be provided by the contractor. These include the placement and disposal requirements regarding solid waste; the specific location for collection of solid waste; schedule time and date of pick up; the cost for service; official landfill sites; the mechanisms by which residents can address incomplete or non performance of the service to be provided by the Contractor and any other complaints.RDC concernsWhen the matter came up for discussion during correspondence at the first RDC Statutory Meeting for 2013, Regional Chairman, Sharma Solomon, said he had explained to Local Government Minister, Norman Whittaker, that the Linden Municipality instead of the RDC, should have signed that agreement.The Regional Chairman said that he also informed the Local Government Minister “of the danger of the programme not being properly promoted and advertised. If prior notice is not given, persons would only know that they have to pay for garbage when garbage is being collected.”Solomon claims there are complications in the agreement because the municipality will have to pick up garbage that the contractor does not collect and the contractor is not responsible for street corner garbage.Currently, the Linden municipality picks up household solid waste free of cost.The Regional Chairman said he had expressed another concern to the Local Government Minister that “if the awareness campaign is not done we (Linden) can have more street corner garbage than we’re trying to prevent because when households don’t agree to pay the $300, they will dump on the street corner.”Solomon added that because people were not properly sensitized to the new garbage regime before it was started “they might just don’t want to pay and claim that they pay rates and taxes although we all know that the rates and taxes are ridiculously low.”He said that he wanted it to be put on record that he as Regional Chairman had voiced objections on various matters coming out of the signed solid waste collection and disposal services agreement.He, however, stated that the programme had been advertised nationally and it has been implemented in seven other Regions.During the RDC Statutory Meeting, the Chairman of the Region’s Health and Environment Committee, Maurice Butters, said that when Minister Whittaker outlined the Waste Management Programme for Region Ten, he objected to the way it was done because the people in Linden were not involved in the exercise from its inception.“Until now, the people in Linden and Region Ten don’t even know about this programme,” Butters said. “Here it is, you have a contract already signed,NFL Jerseys Outlet, committing the people of Linden to pay $300 for collection.“They (Cevon’s Waste Management) would be providing the containers for people, who would sign an agreement, and they would be responsible to dispose of what would be put in that container.“But what I’m more concerned about as a Councilor, representing the people of Region Ten, and as Chairman of the Health and Environment Committee, we were asked to work along with Cevon’s to educate, advertise and inform the people of Linden about this programme.“I am very uncomfortable about doing this in the sense that Cevon’s might have programmes on NCN or at different locations and for me to go there would give the impression that I am part of the whole thing – that I am in agreement with the whole thing and with what is going on – without the knowledge of the people out there from the inception.”Noting Butters’ concern, the Regional Chairman said that he had also told the Local Government Minister that the Chairman of the Health and Environment Committee had been brought up to date after the fact and it does not go well in promoting the Region by the Regional representatives.The Regional Chairman said that irrespective of all that had transpired the Regional Health and Environment Committee should review the contract and make recommendations as to where there are shortcomings and how these can affect residents in terms of garbage and waste management in Linden.During the RDC meeting, concerns were expressed that landfill sites of the new waste disposal regime could affect the town’s potable water sources.The Regional Chairman said the contractors and Minister Norman Whittaker had indicated that an environmental assessment was done to the satisfaction of the government.Meanwhile, RDC Councilor Charles Sampson said he is perplexed that such a contract was signed in Linden. Sampson, who is also a member of the Linden IMC, said the Linden Town Council has enough garbage trucks and equipment to provide adequate waste disposal service in Linden but the Council is unable to attract workers because of its low wages and salaries.He said the $300 that the contractor would be collecting is equivalent to rates and taxes for most buildings in Linden. “We’re going to get some problems,” Sampson said.“Look at it this way, if you’re paying $300 a month that is $3,600 a year. I remember paying rates and taxes up to 2023 and it was less than $3,000.”According to him, if the town council could get people to pay their rates and taxes as well as obtain a more realistic scale of rates and taxes, it would be able to better pay its workers and there would not be any need for private contractors to provide services such as waste collection and disposal.
