Relief is coming to residents in communities affected by a slowdown in garbage collection services.
That assurance has come from Public Relations Officer at the Sanitation Service Authority (SSA) Carl Padmore who acknowledged that a shortage of trucks was contributing to the delay in pick-ups.
Speaking to Barbados TODAY on the sidelines of a clean-up exercise in The Pine, St Michael earlier this week, he said the situation should be resolved soon.
“We are a little behind in terms of the full complement [needed to service the island], but we have the assurance from the government that vehicles are on the way and will be here shortly. We know that for a fact, and those vehicles will complement what we have,” the spokesman said, adding that efforts were being made to get the trucks that are out of service for repairs back on the road.
“It is not a crisis. It is a case where several factors have been influencing collection. We have been having an up-and-down rainy season. Once you have heavy rains, that would delay the collection of garbage by a day or two, then you have the bank holidays. For the most part, we are on schedule.
“There are some areas that have gone into two weeks and those are the areas that you would be focusing on first to, again, bring everybody back on a level keel. So, please, we are saying to Barbadians not to panic. The SSA is coming in your area,” Padmore promised.
He also urged the public to make use of the SSA Hotline – 262-5337 – to alert authorities about problem areas. (RG)
