Principal Tracey-Ann Holloway-Richards of Maxfield Park Primary School in St Andrew is at her wit's end, begging National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) and Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation to mount an immediate and impartial enforcement campaign against people who continually dump their garbage in the area.
The stench from the garbage and the resultant rodent infestation has been a constant 'nightmarish reality' for Holloway-Richards since she took over nine years ago. 'What happens is that in August when they know school is going to reopen in September, somebody comes and they take up the garbage,' she explained. 'It's cleaned for September morning and the first week of school. After that, it goes right back.'
Holloway-Richards charged that the situation is growing increasingly unbearable, not only because of its 'unsightly nature', but also due to a rodent issue that the garbage has created on the compound, posing serious health concerns for students and staff.
The school has faced significant expenses to hire private contractors to clear the area, with Holloway-Richards claiming that the NSWMA takes weeks between visits. 'When I pay to cut these bushes on the outside, I can't find money every month to cut them; that costs me $15,000 just for cutting,' she said. 'And when it's time for them to pick up the bags now, I have to have a truck that comes to remove those bags from off the road. How much is that expense? That's another $20,000.'
PE teacher and coach Tommy McDonald walked the Jamaica Observer team through the mounting heaps of trash along the route he takes with his children. He stated that the NSWMA did carry out a clean-up of the roadways, but it was not enough to combat the nature of the litterbugs in surrounding communities.
'Many times I've seen vehicles passing by just dumping stuff; so, they'll clean it up today and tomorrow you see them just come with an entourage of garbage and just empty out a truck back of waste there,' McDonald said. 'So I think some cameras need to be put up there because these people need to start paying for what they're doing there.'
The issue is further compounded by the fact that students face trekking through piles of garbage to make it to the school's playing field for physical education (PE) lessons. Holloway-Richards pointed out that the playing field sits directly across from the main campus, however dumped waste material frequently blocks the entrance, forcing teachers and students to either find a detour or move their classes elsewhere.
'Whenever we have PE, they have to walk through that garbage or walk the long way around and go right in front of Norman Manley High School,' Holloway-Richards said. 'When I say it's a headache, I mean it, because here I am as a principal trying to uplift the children, and the children have to walk through garbage, and garbage is in front of them.'
Holloway-Richards shared that their problems over the years with illegal dumping have not been a secret, and several complaints have been made to the community's recently elected Member of Parliament Dennis Gordon. She said Gordon has intervened whenever he is called upon, sending trucks and aid to clear the area.
'Whenever I call Member of Parliament Dennis Gordon, he comes through, and he sends trucks and aid to pick up the garbage,' Holloway-Richards said. 'But it's just a temporary solution, because once they leave, the garbage just comes back.'