Recently, Dominica has attracted attention far beyond its borders, due to what has been described as a budding “health crisis” in the country.
“Piles of garbage bags filled with trash are accumulating along the roadsides in every municipality on the island of Dominica. The waste collection service is struggling to keep up with its collection schedule,” contends an article from French outlet, France Info.
Despite the deployment of four new garbage trucks, extensive heaps of trash bags persistently gather in communities and along streets, creating an ongoing sanitation issue, continues the report.
According ot France Info, this problem has endured for several months, and Dominican authorities are struggling to effectively address the health implications.
The article highlighted, as evidence, an apology issued by Dominica Solid Waste Management Corporation’s to residents, which acknowledged their inability to adhere to the previously established collection schedule within municipalities.
DSWMC is quoted as stating, “Our team is working diligently to rectify the situation and restore the regular collection schedule as quickly as possible. We thank residents for their patience and cooperation as we work to keep your communities clean.”
Highlighting that pick-up times are no longer being met, the article points out that services are currently running on a “provisional” service schedule, as announced by the corporation.
Dominica News Online ascertained that DSWMC did issue an apology to residents of Point Michel, Soufriere, and Scotts Head on December 29, 2025, for delays in service, followed by pick up on December 30.
The Corporation also expressed frustration at the apparent quick turn-around of garbage in the community, indicating that shortly after pick up, the site was again filled with garbage.
Notably, there have been several posts on the organization’s Facebook attempting to educate members of the public concerning appropriate sorting, and timely disposal, of garbage.
Additionally, earlier this morning, the DSWMC posted a schedule effective today, December 31, on its Facebook page, which it labeled as “tentative”.
Despite the ongoing delays, taxpayers are still required to pay their monthly waste collection fees, underscored France Info.
The publication added that social media users are voicing their frustrations over the situation, citing a Facebook post from the Touna Development Committee.
In the post, the non-profit organization based in Concord pleaded with the public to immediately stop dumping refuse near the Concord River.
“Over the couple months, we have been tirelessly cleaning it up because it is our community and we know the assumptions may be that this is the doing of the people in the community whereas IT IS NOT,” said the group.
It went on to say that there are witnesses who claim that individuals outside of the community are using the site, which is not designated for such use, as a personal dumping ground. The group vows further action if the behavior does not cease.
As per the France Info article, there is an increasing presence of rats in the communities, attracted by the heaps of garbage left outdoors. This surge in rodent activity has reportedly been linked to a rise in leptospirosis, a bacterial disease transmitted through rat urine, leading authorities to appeal to the public to be proactive in their personal management and disposal of waste.
In April 2025, the Ministry of Health issued a warning about the increase of leptospirosis cases in Dominica. At the time, 17 confirmed cases had been recorded, and tragically, one individual succumbed to the disease.
Dominica News Online confirmed that the Ministry of Health Wellness and Social Services updated the public in April and May of 2025, regarding leptospirosis amongst other diseases. The department also shared photos from excursions in at least two areas, Castle Bruce and Roseau and Environs, by health officials, focused on the education of the dangers of leptospirosis, especially amongst the agricultural sector.
The government’s health authorities emphasize that uncollected waste is contributing to the rat problem and urge residents to dispose of household refuse in accordance with health regulations. They are also recommending more frequent waste collection in neighborhoods where trash continues to pile up, in an effort to curb the health risks associated with the ongoing sanitation crisis.
However, the article leverages, “For several months, the health department has stopped communicating about the presence of this epidemic, even though residents are increasingly concerned about leptospirosis.”
I heard that the new garbage trucks that the government received (not sure if they are from the Chinese government) are TOO BIG to pass through our narrow roads in the rural communities 🙈
Simply by their looks one can tell these are for wide freeways, long haul, big wide roads, which we have not. Every thing free doesn’t mean you take it. There’s a thing called appropriateness on maybe we broke or broken.
it’s a shame for people who are just so nasty blaming government for their nastiness. I have seen trucks (hired to dispose garbage) dump their garbage, Indiscriminately, at the side of roads or bush. I’ve seen people chucking garbage from their cars/buses into the road. how can you blame government for such nastiness? this kind of garbage dumping is from people who have absolutely NO pride of their beautiful country.
It wasn’t like that, when/how did that break down na?
What a ridiculous comment. The garbage hasn’t been collected in my area for over six weeks. I don’t place my garbage at the garbage dump site these days because it is against my conscience to do so. I have been burning my garbage in my backyard every week.
The government is irresponsible in carrying out its duty to the citizens. The garbage trucks came, big hoopla…excitement and praise. Up to this day, they’re not on the road…no update that I’ve heard.
BTW, anyone remembers PM saying they were going to review the formula used to calculate the increased water rates because there was an error in applying the formula? I’m questioning myself now…wondering if that is what I actually heard…because since he said that its been…crickets!
What a ridiculous comment. The garbage hasn’t been collected in my area for over six weeks. I don’t place my garbage at the garbage dump site these days because it is against my conscience to do so. I have been burning my garbage in my backyard every week.
The government is irresponsible in carrying out its duty to the citizens. The garbage trucks came, big hoopla…excitement and praise. Up to this day, they’re not on the road…no update that I’ve heard.
BTW, anyone remembers PM saying they were going to review the formula used to calculate the increased water rates because there was an error In applying the formula? I’m questioning myself now…wondering if I heard right…because since he said that its been…crickets!
De government cannot say dat we giving de country bad name.
seeing is believing…….foreingers have their eyes open.
That is an endictment on this government which has been in office for how long?
Is not citizens dat giving de country a bad name
Dat dlp has always had a problem with GARBAGE ……..go figure
seems like is garbage we exporting now and no country seems to want our garbage anymore. So let’s keep the garbage pm in office to stockpile more garbage for us. Maybe the China garbage ship is stock in Venezuela and it cannot come
The source of Dominica’s hich levels of garbage today is due to our almost 98% of all our foods today are imported. We have more packaging rubbish than ever before. Maybe some of the big supermarkets and importers bringing in all the rubbish for Dominicans to eat should contribute to the waste disposal through some environmental levy and rubish tax.
Before Skerrit Dominica was known to be the nature isle but since Skerrit Dominica is well known as the garbage island of the Caribbean.
We are not only the garbage country in terms of pile of garbage that can’t be picked up but our garbage leadership, governance and just about everything. I will not be surprised to hear Trump refer to us as garbage country early this year
They have succeeding in rendering this island a dirty smelly place.
Those trucks (in hiding?) seem to have come ‘dead in the water’, very large 10 wheelers for Dominica narrow roads, when they only need 6 wheels to maneuver and manage. Oh boy, look stenchy incompetence. Shame to tell you my village, never seen it so, I prefer ravine.
I just asking myself how long it will take Dominicans to see that Skerrit and China are on a mission to finish with us. Keep eating their unhealthy and dangerous ham and turkey that Skerrit himself will not even eat or give to his family and stay blind and not see that the Funeral Home is planning all you funeral and give all you expensive happy hour.
Boy the only time I remember seeing every street loaded like that was in the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and “90’s , when our streets and main roads were loaded with bunches of bananas and boxes of bananas that were waiting on trucks to get them to our ports to be shipped to the UK. But Skerrit replaced our banana industry with bags of dirty, nasty, filthy and stinking garbage that cannot be picked up.
But I can hear Skerrit on the campaign trail in 2019, pleading with Dominicans to give him 5 more years to take care of national health insurancce. In fact I remember this one: “ladies and gentlemen, if I or my family get sole I can fly them over, “but what about you?”
Six years later we have no health insurance, state of the art hospital with no medication, Cuban doctors that don’t understand our language, pile of garbage meeting garbage and a looming health crisis. To make this worse for us, we cannot run to the US for medical assistance thanks to Skerrit and his CBI that forced US sanctions
Agreed 100%! This is what happens when inept party supporters are placed in top management positions. The ineptitude that plagued the DSWMC also affects DOWASCO, DOMLEC and other quasi governmental establishments.
The citizenry is just as accountable for ensuring that their garbage is disposed responsibly. An education campaign should be waged in schools and over the electronic and social media about litter disposal. Heavy fines should be charged for littering public and private places. Jingles on the radio and Facebook about keeping the community pristine clean.
Let’s alk remember that cleanliness is godliness!
Need to hold those in leadership accountable. Fix this issue immediately or your successors will.
Hoping this improves in 2026. This is very bad press for the Nature Isle.
Hoping this improves in 2026. This is very bad press for the Nature Isle.
How dare you hold people who only care about their pockets accountable? You foouing man?
If you believe this clueless, greedy and allegedly corrupt cabal to fix sheeet in Dca I have a BIG bridge made of gold and diamond to sell to you. Happy New Year!!