Bahamas Information Services

The Department of Environmental Health Services (D.E.H.S.) will commence twice-weekly garbage collection services in the more densely populated areas of New Providence within the next six weeks, Minister of Health and Social Development Dr. Hubert Minnis said.

Minnis said the expanded schedule should help to eliminate the challenges of wild and/or stray dogs overturning garbage receptacles in those areas, which in turn, can result in an increased rodent population.

He said the Department will launch its rodent eradication program in March, 2008. The initiative will involve public education and awareness, enforcement and treatment. Englerston has been selected to pilot the project.

Addressing Parliament on Wednesday, Minnis said the Department, upon the completion of a Density Study already underway, will develop and publish the schedule for collection dates and times for all areas, utilising various media.

"We hope this will encourage individuals, rather than storing garbage overnight, to bring it out of their homes just before we arrive so as to minimize the possibility of the bins and garbage being exposed to the elements and the number of wild and/or stray dogs that we encounter today," Minnis said.

"This is introducing an orderly fashion to our system while at the same time reducing the number of rodents that we also face," the Minister added. Minnis said the "improper and inadequate" storage of garbage and transport of waste continues to be a "vexing problem." He said these matters will be addressed through a number of measures. The Health and Social Development Minister said the Department proposes to launch a min-recycling initiative in May, 2008, in two constituencies in New Providence - one in the East and one in the West - to help reduce the amount of litter and garbage facing New Providence.

"We will provide certain bins destined for can collection and we will assign one of our older trucks to collect those bins so that the cans may be taken to a particular location operated by Cans for Kids," Minnis said.