City cracks down on messy garbage haulers
It’s a familiar scene to drivers who travel on roads leading to garbage dumps. Follow a truck carrying refuse and you frequently find yourself dodging the debris that flies off the back. Jacqueline Woods did some following of her own this morning and found authorities taking action.
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
Today, drivers who were transporting garbage to the city’s dumpsite on the Western Highway were caught off-guard by a traffic checkpoint along the way. Both big trucks and smaller private vehicles were stopped and inspected to see that they weren’t creating more mess than they were carting away.
Delmar Moguel, Supervisor, Sanitation Dept., CITCO
“Basically, we are looking for vehicles with unsecured garbage flying out the back of the vehicle and without any tarp over the back of the vehicle.”
Recently there has been an accumulation of debris along our highways and the Belize City Council suspects that some of the trash is being caused by individuals and companies who do not properly handle the disposal of garbage. Paco Smith, CITCO’s public relations manager, says there is a statutory instrument that specifically deals with such offences, and today’s exercise is part of their efforts to see that the law is observed.
Paco Smith, Manager, Public Relations Dept., CITCO
“Belize City has burgeoning challenge with respect to garbage and its improper disposal and/or transportation. Basically, this is part in parcel of the Belize City Council’s efforts to continue educating the public with regards to the relevant stipulations and regulations which govern the transportation of garbage. And in the addition, it’s part of our efforts to maintain a clean and safe environment.”
If a littering offence is committed, a person is charged five hundred dollars, while companies pay two thousand dollars. That’s a lot of money, but this unsuspecting offender will have to pay up.
Delmar Moguel
“Basically, the tree branches that he has in the back of his truck is not secured. It has no string, no tarp, no nothing to hold it down in the back of the vehicle and in effect causes it to fall out. It’s dragging all over the street, the vehicle has no tailgates, the leaves are falling out along the road, causing problems, litter the road.”
The driver was told that if he would like to contest the ticket, he had fifteen days in which to ask for a court hearing or pay the fine. Smith says everyday the city loses a lot of revenue because it lacks the resources to enforce the law.
Paco Smith
“There is no question, a lot of people are in violation of the laws, and we do our best to come out and regulate. Of course, one of the things is that we need adequate manpower to come out and do these types of exercises consistently.”
Traffic officers were on hand to see that motorists in general are not violating any traffic laws. The Inspection will continue until the end of the week, but there are plans to hold random checks in the future. Reporting for News 5, Jacqueline Woods.
In related news, on Monday night, the City Council workers were on patrol, not looking for more traffic violators, but searching the city streets for stray dogs. According to Paco Smith a total of ninety dogs were eradicated. Smith says because they did not cover the entire city, the operation will continue. Pet owners are urged to make sure that their pooch is properly locked away.
