Bay Street merchants have come under fire from the Department of Environmental Health for improper garbage control.
It’s a critical issue that has the potential to affect tourism along the capital’s main thoroughfare and health officials are urging business owners to cooperate.
Under rule 150 (section 1) of the Environmental Health Act, downtown merchants must place garbage on the roadside for collection between the hours of 6 and 7 in the morning and again from 6 to 7 in the evenings.
According to Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Ron Pinder, it is crucial that downtown shop owners have their staff cooperate with these regulations as garbage collected throughout the day, would prove to be inconvenient for motorists in the busy area.
According to environmental health officials, the regulations were also put in place giving consideration to the layout of the many business houses in the area, that do not have adequate, easily accessible space on their premises to properly store garbage.
But some storeowners are blatantly ignoring the regulations as authorities have in the past spotted some merchants placing garbage bags outside their stores in the middle of the day. If caught, they could face fines of up to $1,000 and/or imprisonment of up to nine months. Subsequent breaches carry fines of up to $5,000 and/or imprisonment of up to 12 months.
Mr. Pinder sent a warning to merchants.
“We’re not trying to deter them from putting out their garbage,” he said. “We’re simply saying, ‘do it at times when we’re coming around so stray dogs don’t get to it and it doesn’t continue to create the eyesore because Bay Street is one of the most highly trafficked and populated areas in the city of Nassau. We ought to try our best to cooperate in keeping Bay Street free from garbage.” Mr. Pinder added that the issue is not one that should simply be left up to government, but one that is a collective effort.
“I have walked downtown myself and spoken with a number of merchants who for some reason or another, were not cooperating with our request with respect to when they can put out their garbage and refuse. Some of them have complied and therefore there has been a significant improvement in that regard. But this is an ongoing process to get people to appreciate that this is a joint effort,” Mr. Pinder said.
Acknowledging that there has been problems with some downtown merchants regarding proper disposal of garbage during set times, Executive Director of the Nassau Tourism Development Board, Frank Comito, said the appearance of the downtown area must remain in tact. He applauded the ministry’ vigilance of the situation.
“All it takes is a few bad apples to make things not operate efficiently,” Mr. Comito said. “We constantly encourage businesses to adhere to the requirements that refuse not be placed out early and that it be bagged properly. Most businesses do adhere to that and we’re pleased that the Department of Environmental Health Services is going to be much more vigilant in identifying and seeking the cooperation of those businesses that do not comply with that policy. It’s not only unsightly, but on a windy day that refuse just starts flying around and just makes the whole town look bad.”
Mr. Pinder added that the Board encourages merchants to abide by the rules, but beyond that, it becomes an enforcement issue.
By Hadassah Hall, The Bahama Journal
