Dionne Rose and Tyrone Reid, Staff Reporters

Garbage trucks wait in a long line to unload garbage at the Riverton City landfill yesterday. The back-up took place because the tractors that operate at the landfill broke down on Monday. - Ian Allen/Staff Photographer

Work at the Riverton City landfill in Kingston went at a snail's pace yesterday as only one of seven tractors assigned to clear the landfill was in operation.

This forced scores of truck drivers to join a long line before they could offload garbage.

When The Gleaner visited the landfill, truck drivers said they were in the line since 3:00 a.m. Up to 32 trucks could be seen in line waiting impatiently to offload.

"The tractor bruck down from yesterday (Monday) so no work nuh get fi gwaan last night until the mechanic come back and work on it," one driver explained.

One tractor driver said none of the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) tractors were working and only one hired tractor was in service.

"The tractor dem overwork just before the hurricane (Hurricane Dean). We never really have any section prepared fi dat deh volume a garbage weh come in," he said. "Within an eight-hour period yuh a get some 300 trucks pon one tractor."

The workers on the dump said they have been facing the problem since November.

The workers also warned that the situation could worsen if there is a fire.

"Right now, yuh see how we have Christmas breeze now, a fire is pending on us: If we don't cover (the landfill) and a fire get away right now, with one equipment, it a go get weh and Jamaica a go feel it," said another tractor operator.

Unusual situation

Meanwhile, newly appointed executive director of the NSWMA, Joan Gordon-Webley, said it was unusual that all three pieces of equipment went down at the same time.

"We have had a challenge out there since yesterday (Monday)," Mrs. Gordon-Webley said. She added that the authority was "trying frantically to have them repaired".

She also said that another piece of equipment was being transported from Bull Bay to ease the pile-up at Riverton. She said this piece of equipment would be kept at the Riverton City landfill until January next year.

The executive director said she would be ensuring that the scheduled periodic maintenance is done on the equipment to prevent a repeat of the situation.

Until normalcy returns to the Riverton City landfill, the head of the government-run garbage collection company told The Gleaner that the private contractors have been asked to hold what they have collected on their compounds.