Fri | Oct 17, 2025

Swaby raps NSWMA for uncollected garbage, dirty Corporate Area streets

Published:Wednesday | October 15, 2025 | 11:44 AM
Mayor of Kingston Andrew Swaby.
Mayor of Kingston Andrew Swaby.

Kingston's mayor Andrew Swaby has urged the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) to get its act together, citing complaints from several communities that their garbage has not been collected, sometimes for up to eight weeks at a time.

At the same time, Swaby also criticised the NSWMA for what he said was an absence of street sweeping in downtown Kingston, forcing the KSAMC to hire external contractors to keep the roadways clean. Swaby was speaking at the KSAMC's monthly council meeting on Tuesday.

"Residents in several communities are experiencing a serious backlog with domestic garbage. In some communities there are complaints of waste not being collected for six to eight weeks. This situation is unacceptable," he said, noting that uncollected garbage poses both health and environmental risks.

He said while he understands that the NSWMA faces challenges during the rainy season, such excuses cannot suffice for the inordinately long delays.

"We have also observed that sweeping is not taking place on a regular basis, particularly in the heart of downtown, parade, King Street, West Queen Street... What is even more concerning is the suspicion that some persons employed by the NSWMA to carry out these duties are being paid but little or no work is actually being done," noted Swaby.

"I am calling on the NSWMA to take action to address these delays and ensure that both residential and public areas receive the attention they require. The KSAMC remains ready to support these efforts," he said, also criticising residents who make the situation worse by employing poor waste disposal practices.

In the meantime, Swaby said that despite notices and repeated follow-ups, some 41 car dealerships have remained delinquent in advertising fees, cumulatively owing more than $1.4 million to the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC).

"In keeping with our compliance and enforcement procedures, we will now proceed with the publication of these names. This measure is intended to uphold accountability, encourage compliance, and protect the interest of the public and the municipality," he affirmed.

"It also sends a clear message that the KSAMC will enforce its regulations firmly, fairly, and without exceptions," added the mayor as he addressed the KSAMC's monthly council meeting on Tuesday.

- Corey Robinson

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