NSWMA GM Indira James-Henry calls on communities to take responsibility for the cleanliness of their surroundings
Residents of Antigua and Barbuda are being urged to exercise more responsibility and pride in ensuring the country remains clean.
General Manager of the National Solid Waste Authority Indira James-Henry made the appeal while speaking on state media recently.
James-Henry mentioned that for the country to remain clean, homeowners must play a major role especially after the team has moved from their area.
“That’s a crucial part of this effort, and it is moving very, very, very slowly, I should say, because the community has not accepted that they are the ones that are responsible for keeping the community clean. It is just that simple. It is still very heavily reliant on the government, even in terms of just outside our homes.
“We pay someone to cut our yard, but we only want them to cut inside, and the front of the home is your responsibility. Even to the essence of your gutter in front of your home, if everybody was just doing their part, the reliance on this deep cleaning would not be necessary. Even when we have some bulk, we just throw it outside, or we throw it on the lot that is close to us,” James-Henry said.
“So, we want them to understand that they play a major role, and especially in the work that has been done and the efforts that has been put in, both financially and in terms of manpower, machinery, in order for us to see a difference, the community will have to take that ownership,” she added.
A major clean up campaign has been underway across the island where derelict vehicles have been removed.
Just last week, the National Solid Waste Authority along with the Antigua Barbuda Defence Force and the central Board of Health completed work in Yorks and have moved on to the Villa and Point communities.
They will also do a major clean up in the city.
Help around all the Spanish bars government help us these ppl destroying the fabric of Antigua with the nastiness, in Martin villa 3 bars pan one road lower Ottos oh lawrd jack more Spanish bars more than churches and schools please help us
Penalized and write tickets to residents who throws heavy trash behind other ppl properties and empty land in the community, when they throws it in your backyard and you come out and talk they cuss you out and say this piece is government we need a hot line to report them come out and issue tickets when they have to pay they will stop.
Can’t have national pride when half of the people are immigrants who don’t care; when we aren’t heavily teaching people from school ages up, constantly and consistently, to keep the place clean; and where there are no heavily enforced litter laws.