It appears that a call by the Mayor of Roseau, Irene John, to the Dominica Solid Waste Management Corporation (DSWMC) to work in together with the Roseau City Council in collecting garbage in the city has gone unheeded.
John told a workshop for haulers of waste organized by the DSWMC on Monday that she had informed the Corporation that in the event of any difficulties in dealing with garbage in the City, the council should be contacted.
“Instead of having the garbage to stay how many days and how many nights in the city, we have two trucks, we are working for the well-being of the City and the country so if they have some difficulties with their trucks, just call us and let us know so we will arrange how we can get together and collect the garbage so it doesn’t become an eye sore,” she stated.
But it seems the call has fallen on deaf ears.
“I have mentioned that to solid waste more than one occasion but Solid Waste seems to be happy with how they running their collection,” the mayor said.
Meanwhile John said garbage collectors on island should have some level of education in terms of training “so that they can appreciate the job that they are assigned to do.”
According to her, there is more to collecting garbage and disposing of it.
“First of all your people picking up garbage, your people on the truck by now they should have some level of education … it’s a job you need to put some pride in,” she said. “It’s not just picking up garbage and throw in a truck and drive off, there is more to it than that.”
She continued, “They must put a little more pride in what they do. Whatever is left behind, have a shovel, have a broom and pick it up and put it in the truck, a burst bag, pick it up.”
She went on to say that garbage collectors must have some levels of pride and responsibility.
“If we cannot do that we will be getting nowhere,” she stated. “Because at times when they don’t pass, I ask my people in the council to come and pick it up and you know what they do, they pick up all the garbage in my lane, that’s where I live, so my men pick up all the garbage on that lane but solid waste never called to thank or complement us for doing that.”
She also stated that garbage collectors should not be looked down upon.
“These are people you have to look up to because these are the people who are cleaning the environment, picking up your waste … they have a very important part to play,” she noted.
The workshop was held at the Red Cross Headquarters in Goodwill.
So what happen to that wonderful “N E P” thing that supose to put people to work?? And with all the paro”s walking around roseau begging, put them to work,
Your worship if Solid Wast can not meet their obligations for Roseau as stipulated I suggest you make your own arrangements for Roseau waste collection and send Solid Waste the bill. Either that or do not pay them as contracted. Your first priority is for Roseau and not Solid Waste, a company that can afford to employ a full time P.R. officer, malgraysa
Good. A mayor who is not afraid of speaking out and calling names.
I agree with Mayor John..We have a tendency to be very casual and lackadaisical about work, do not see value in cooperation and teamwork and accept too easily low standards in what we do..
When are we going to stop being hypocrites. The Dominica Solid Waste Management Corporation (DSWMC) and the Roseau City Council are both doing great jobs. The problem with Dominica and especially Roseau is DOMINICANS HAVE GOTTEN WAYYYY TO NASTY. Stop the excuses. How many of us see the guys in their brown uniforms all day on their knees even weeding the gutters by hand and doing a great job cleaning up. Also the guys at night lifting the culvert etc and hosing down town. Then seconds later the malcasay Dominicans come by and the gutters are dirty again. You walk for no more than a minute in town and run into the green bins but the nasty Dominicans refuse to use it. The other day i looked at a guy standing 3 feet to the side of a green bin eating some food out of a Styrofoam container. When he was done instead of just dumping the container in the bin he through it in the gutter in front of him. I guess it’s Roseau City Council fault. D/cans be real and let’s KEEP D/ca clean.
I endorse what the Mayor stated. Whoever is responsible, the person is too ashamed to return the call. On the other hand the person may be angry that it was made public. Too bad! It is bad manners not to return the Mayor’s call and also failing to thank and compliment for garbage which was picked up when that department did not do so. They should be charged for it.
This person who must be in management has no business ethics and should also be given a management and training course.
Who is in charge of DSWMC? They are being paid by the government. Garbage collection should fall under the jurisdiction of the Mayor, her office.
Those who perform any job should take pride in doing it and satisfactorily. It is a job and they are getting paid for it. The more reason to perform their job responsibly. They should consider when pay day comes how happy they will be to get paid.
Write that person a formal letter accordingly and request a response as soon as possible.
I also endorse that they should have some level of education and be trained for the position. If they were, they probably would take pride in their work.
Education is necessary to also teach them the importance of job responsibility and pride. The salary should commensurate with education and vice versa.
D/ca is a small country and some people have not got over their stigma of certain jobs they regard as menial. All jobs are important in themselves. A country cannot function without them. Therefore, they should be deemed important and those who perform them should not be looked down on. This is discrimination. They must be made to feel that the job they are performing is also necessary.
Mayor, they should also wear a uniform, if this will make them feel important, i.e., their job is important and they will be not be looked down.
atleast this mayor is speaking on that issue,give her a plus compare to that last mashee before her
do these people have any responsibilities?
Mayor John you right on one thing but the broken slabs covering the culvert over the drain right infront of the council nose needs attention too. When someone break a leg in that drain should one sue the city council?
Perhaps a few more guys walking around with a broom, shovel, and a small hand cart would also help.
How about D/cans not be so nasty and dirtying the place that it would need more guys to clean. They already have many guys and they do a great job cleaning up. But the nasty D/cans just dirty the place faster that it can humanly be cleaned
Two cents, why not fine these malcasay people as you call them. We have young policemen & women going round Roseau with books to write out tickets for wrongly parked cars and making money for govt. so why not not issue tickets for littering as well? I bet you that nasty habit will soon be under control.
Titiwi that is already in place. There are Litter Wardens working with Environmental and Health and yes the police can issue tickets for littering also. But just like the rest of the world the authorities can’t be every where all the time. D/cans within themselves need to have more pride and respect and KEEP Dominica clean. NO EXCUSES. Let’s not make a mess and then say the cleaners are not doing a good job cleaning up after us or not fast enough. Everyone check themselves and in turn Dominica will benefit.
****PRIDE FOR OUR COLLECTORS***
“She went on to say that garbage collectors must have some levels of pride and responsibility”.
…………..
A wage increase for the garbage collectors would also help!
-Thanks
that should not make news because those two entities should be one with each other, people who always say things in the media usually do that to make them appear to be working.
Dominicans= chatter boxes with no substance
If this is one way of getting garbage picked up and on time, making it public is the best thing. Whenever people go to the Media they get action.
The Mayor did right. I would think, as the Mayor, this is her area of concern. It is newsworthy to make those irresponsible and lazy bones perform their work efficiently. Furthermore, she knows how D/cans feel and what they have experienced through their comments.
Well said Mayor John,Garbage collectors should be respected.I also hope they are well paid if they are doing a good job, Garbage collectors are well paid in other countries.
Now the model of running the city and country is changing , thats good every one in dominica should study the singapore model it works. The both countries are the same size, good job miss mayor, keep fighting the good fight. The trucks are never maintained, if the get new trucks they will distroy them again. The problems is maintainance of government property.