Schools to pay for garbage collection

For almost two decades the Belize Waste Control Co. Ltd. has been collecting and trucking away, free of cost, the garbage that schools in Belize City produce.  But as they say, all good things must come to an end and last week, the schools received their notification from the company that effective August 30th, that free service will be no more.

While the schools have enjoyed the free service, the notice could not have come at a worse time for them.  The start of a new school year is September 1, two days after the deadline for the first payment.  The schools have already dealt with registration and incidentals for the year with their student body, so there are only two options available to them: either they appeal to the Ministry to intervene or, they charge the students a monthly fee until the next school year when they will probably have to attach an additional cost to the registration fees for the new expense.

The situation is one that the Association of Primary Schools’ President, Loreen Ciego says they cannot afford, simply because their budgets have been worked out to the nearest dollar for this school year.  The figure that Waste Control has calculated as fair charge for their services is approximately  $180 per week per school.  BWC’s Manager, George Lamb says he is cognizant of the fact that schools, especially the ones that cater to less privileged children will not be able to come up with that amount.  He expressed a willingness to sit and negotiate with them individually to work out an agreement.

The City Council meantime, has been slow in trying to offer any solution to a potential garbage crisis at the City’s schools.  Instead Deputy Mayor, Philip Willoughby was quick to appear on television soon after the announcement just to say that the service has been rendered for free for 18 years.  It’s exactly one week before classes reopen.  We’ll see how this one pans out.

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