LMTC continues to battle with waste management

…….As garbage piles up Linden

By Abiola Archer

With all four of the garbage collection units attached to the Linden Mayor and Town Council (LMTC) experiencing mechanical issues, coupled with the department being short of staff, there is a current pile up of garbage within the municipality of Linden. Mostly affected by this, is the business arena as there are huge piles of solid waste dumped in public areas which is not only eye sore but an environmental hazard.

INFO 10 reached out to the Town Clerk, Orleana Obermuller, who acknowledged the present solid waste situation and explained that the lack of resources is causing the current build up. “All four of our vehicles have mechanical issues that we are trying to fix currently and also due to the fact that we are currently short of staff. Currently we only have four laborers and four vehicles that are part of the solid waste department, so we are trying to address those.”

Obermuller said, they have managed to fix two of their vehicles on Tuesday but they are not fully functional hence garbage collection remains at a standstill.   “We have started to remove the garbage on the Mackenzie shore and hopefully by the weekend they will be starting on the Wismar shore.” When quizzed on whether the council is considering alternative means as a short term solution to the issue such as hiring a private contractor, she said the only solution is to get the vehicles up and running and employing more staff. This is despite the council remains cash strapped and revenue collection remains a challenge.

“Sometimes we depend on the other private contractors but that doesn’t necessarily mean that we will get their support at all times, in the absent of that we have to get our vehicles and staff in order” she posited.

Residents of Linden are calling on the council to be more efficient in providing the necessary services such as garbage collection. “LM&TC should try something new, look for investors or international financial institutions that invests in these kinds of social problems and get this problem fix, it is too long that they have this one justification,” one distraught resident said.

The council however is embarking on a solid waste management intervention plan as a long term solution to the issue.