Garbage collections have been on time and on schedule for the past month after the Department of Environmental Health took action to deal with problems that have plagued it for more than a year.
Though a planned scheme to use low-risk prisoners to supplement garbage collection crews has yet to be fully implemented, officials at the DEH say a series of other measures has turned the struggling department around.
“Collections have been going great,” said Mark Bothwell, acting assistant director of the DEH.
“We have not fallen behind on collections at all in the past month.”
He said an influx of temporary workers and an improvement in performance from existing staff was behind the change.
Richard Simms and Mr. Bothwell were seconded to the department earlier this year amid a series of staffing and equipment problems that had led to garbage piling up by the roadside in some districts after frequent delays in collection.
The former director of the department Roydell Carter went on leave last December and later retired. A government internal audit highlighted massive overspending on overtime under Mr. Carter.
Several legislators have spoken out about the issue, and Health Minister Dwayne Seymour revealed the department was suffering from significant absenteeism among staff. He committed additional funds to provide temporary staff through the Christmas period and said prisoners would begin to be used on garbage trucks as part of a community rehabilitation program.
It is understood that two prisoners are currently assisting the DEH on a temporary basis as the department and prison officials discuss the details of an expanded program that could be implemented in the new year. Mr. Bothwell said the influx of new staff on temporary contracts had made life easier.
“The temporary workers are doing an excellent job,” he said, “and we are hoping that in the new year we can keep at least some of them. Some of them are collectors, some are drivers, so we have those extra hands on deck when people are sick.”
He said the existing staff performance had also improved significantly. While a few people have left the department, he said morale and performance levels were generally much better.
“There is less absenteeism, that is almost down to zero,” he added.
“We have been giving them as much support as we can and they have responded well. I have to give them the credit they deserve.”
Mr. Bothwell said the festive season put extra strain on DEH manpower and equipment because of additional waste, the bulk collection schedule and the NiCE program. But he believes the department has the resources to keep up its recent improvement throughout the season.
“We still have a long way to go, but we are getting a lot less complaints than we were in July,” he said.
“They have done a really good job in turning things around and giving the public the service they deserve.”
He said the public could assist by making sure garbage was put out on the right day, in a proper bin bag and in a closed container. He said garbage collectors made 400-500 stops every morning and the efficiency of their work was impacted when garbage was left haphazardly on the street and ripped open by stray cats and dogs.
“The public can help us help them,” he said. “We are trying our best to improve the public service.”
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