THE Port of Spain City Corporation will be buying new garbage compactors to the tune of $18 million to help address garbage collection issues in the city. That is just one of the aspects of the Clean City Initiative, with its mission to clean up the city for the benefit of visitors as well as residents.

During a press conference at City Hall on September 30, Mayor Chinua Alleyne explained the initiative will be multi-pronged. It will also include investing in a fleet of street sweepers, obtaining approval from the Ministry of Health to amend the public health by-laws for a containerisation pilot project, conducting public consultation on revising the garbage collection schedule, installing garbage bins in the central business district, expanding the litter cart programme, engaging contractors to address landscaping issues and redeploying litter wardens to address dumping.

Alleyne said there have been difficulties with garbage collection in the city because, despite spending over $2 million on compactor fleet maintenance over the past two financial years, the fleet's reliability has not improved because the vehicles are over ten years old. Also, the city collected garbage in residential areas five days a week and seven days a week in some commercial areas, so they were being worked very hard.