Miffed by motorists, SSA halts refuse pickups

The Sanitation Service Authority (SSA) was forced to suspend collection services on Tuesday morning blaming motorists’ reckless driving for making conditions impossible for sanitation workers on the streets.

With drivers persisting on driving at high speeds in the low visibility conditions caused by the ash on the roads from the La Soufrière volcano eruptions, Public Relations Officer Carl Padmore said the SSA had no other choice but to suspend service for the day from as early as 9 a.m.

He told reporters: “The SSA today had to suspend all collections – this had to do with drivers not paying due care and attention as they were manoeuvring around our lorries and [their] crew. Case in point, the amount of ash on the road, the drivers were driving so quickly, it came up and covered our guys, although they had on the correct PPE [Personal Protective Equipment] gear, the visibility was poor.

“We had reiterated the appeal by [Minister of Home Affairs Wilfred Abrahams] to drive with due care and attention. This made our jobs very difficult this morning.”

Padmore accused motorists of ignoring sanitation workers who were flagging drivers down to reduce their speeds and continuing to use the roadways in an inconsiderate manner.

“Although we tried to flag down some of the guys, they did not take heed,” said Padmore. “Therefore the collection for today 13th of April had to be suspended.

“We are making an appeal to the public to at least stay two car lengths or a truck length behind the SSA truck. If you have to overtake the truck, do so slowly and cautiously, so as to not disrupt the ash in a big way that it makes the visibility poorer.”

Residents are also mixing fallen ash with the usual household waste for SSA workers to dispose of, Padmore said. He stressed that the current collections are only for household waste, as special arrangements are currently being finalized for pickups of volcanic ash.

“The priority today is household waste,” he said. “You can place the ash in suitable bags, which can be crocus bags, which can be a heavy-duty garbage bag, place it in your garden, you can find a farmer, but do not commingle it with the household waste.” (SB)