Business operators, residents and people who work in and traverse the Ocho Rios resort town are being encouraged to take more responsibility for the cleanliness and upkeep of the town. They are being told to properly dispose of waste in skips and bins, rather than littering streets and public areas.The appeal has come from mayor of St. Ann’s Bay and chairman of the St Ann Parish Council Desmond Gilmore as well as councillor for the Ocho Rios division, Dr. Rohan Williams.Both men, speaking in separate interviews with North Coast Times, said Ocho Rios was generally a well kept town, however, they have admitted that there were challenges in keeping some sections of the resort town clean. Mayor Gilmore and Dr. Williams have pointed to the town centre, in the vicinity of the Ocho Rios market as well as the transport center, as areas which are sometimes littered with garbage and which have caused critics to describe the resort area as being filthy and dirty.
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Councillors, during Thursday’s meeting, complained that garbage was not being collected in a timely manner and in some instances, they complained that waste was left uncollected, sometimes for weeks. Some councillors claim the problem spans across the parish. The mayor later told The Times that he too had problems recently with garbage collection in his (Lime Hall) division. He said the NSWMA attributed it to two nonfunctional units. In Ocho Rios, however, Mayor Gilmore said while it was true that there was a lot of garbage in the resort town, businesses, vendors, commuters and other citizens also have a responsibility to ensure the proper disposal of their garbage.Meanwhile, councillor Williams told the Times that he has been having a problem with the NSWMA regarding garbage collection in the resort town. He said there are certain areas in Ocho Rios which are usually dirty and which have become sites for garbage disposal. “We speak of places like Little Buckfield plaza, we speak of both entrances to James Avenue, we speak of the horrible state now by merchants along Evelyn Street,” Councillor Williams declared that while the Parish Council can suggest and make representation, the NSWMA must move towards enacting the laws and holding people accountable for the improper disposal of waste. The councillor is also appealing to Member of Parliament Shahine Robinson to assist with funding to clean the main drain in Ocho Rios which is often littered with garbage. The councillor said he was aware that the MP has complained, in the past, about not getting enough funds to clean the drain, however he wants her to use her high office or money from her Constituency Fund to assist in cleaning the drain. He said residents and some business operators should desist from emptying garbage in the drain and the councillor has called for better sensitization of citizen about cleanliness and garbage disposal. He said more street sweepers and a better garbage disposal and collection system is urgently needed.
