SSA faces vehicle shortage

The Sanitation Service Authority (SSA) is battling an acute shortage of collection vehicles, an SSA spokesman acknowledged on Thursday.

Public Relations Officer Carl Alff Padmore told Barbados TODAY that waste collection delays have been extended to two weeks in some parishes, though he said urgent measures are being undertaken to address the situation.

“We know that we are behind in collections in some areas. We do sincerely apologise to the public for that as well, but we are working with that,” Padmore said, noting that mechanical teams are working round-the-clock to repair the SSA’s fleet.

While declining to specify a timeline for full-service restoration, Padmore confirmed that the authority’s management and the responsible minister have been fully briefed on the situation.

Padmore urged residents awaiting collection to properly secure their bins, particularly during inclement weather.

The sanitation authority’s public relations officer also addressed the persistent issue of illegal dumping, which compounds the authority’s challenges.

“We have been battling that situation with a number of areas in Barbados where we have been working closely with the Ministry of Health to get to the bottom of it,” he said.

“Understand that once [you] dump and the stuff gets into the drains, it will block the drains. Blocked drains will then lead to flooding. Once flooding takes place, it can get into our homes; of course, the roads become impassable. But I think that we need to be more loving to our country and our environment.” (LG)