Japan Gifts Orange Walk a New Compactor Truck
The Orange Walk Town Council receives a new compactor truck from the government of Japan. The gift is part of the ongoing Grant Assistance for Grass-Roots Human Security Project between both countries. The truck was handed over in a short ceremony this morning and Mayor Kevin Bernard says that the new addition to the municipality’s sanitation department is expected to improve garbage collection. Dalila Ical reports.
Dalila Ical, Reporting
The Orange Walk Town council today received a new compactor truck to add to its fleet at the Sanitation Department in that municipality. The donation is made by the Japanese Government under the Grant Assistance for Grass-Roots Human Security Project. Mayor Kevin Bernard says it’s, quote, tremendous help to the Orange Walk Town Council, unquote, which has been servicing the entire town with one small compactor truck and two open back trucks.
Kevin Bernard
Kevin Bernard, Mayor, Orange Walk Town
“This new donation that has been given to us by the Japanese Government is a much larger compactor truck. It’s going to cover one of the main, bigger zones in Orange Walk, especially the Union Town Area, so there should be able to see garbage being collected more frequently as well. In some areas we only do it once a week, in some areas two times a week. So, this will add on to the efficiency.”
His Excellency Hiroyuki Kubota, Ambassador of Japan to Belize, presented the gift to the council this morning during a short ceremony.
Hiroyuki Kubota
Hiroyuki Kubota, Ambassador of Japan to Belize
“This handing over of this garbage truck to Orange Walk Town to serve the growing eighteen thousand population. The ongoing nationwide, the formation of a landfill system and region wide initiative for combating plastic waste in the Caribbean ocean and solid waste management in Orange Walk all connected, very well connected. It could be extended to the protection and revitalization of the New River too. The investment today is for you, each household of Orange Walk Town.”
The Ambassador also emphasized that the Orange Walk community is also the driving force to tackle challenges surrounding waste management.
Kevin Bernard
“I want to encourage residents to ensure that people are properly bagging their garbage. We also need to look down the road. We hear about recycling and all these things. We need to start to educate our people more asking them to start to separate their garbage – plastics with plastics, bottles with bottles, things that can be used as compost , these are things that we should learn to start to put aside as well.”
The grant used for the purchase of the truck is valued at a little over one hundred, sixty thousand Belize dollar. Reporting for News Five, I am Dalila Ical.
