Junior Minister of Health with responsibility for the National Solid Waste Management Authority, Senator Michael Joseph, is expressing frustration with the perennial problem of the illegal dumping of garbage across the country.
Speaker with media representatives this week, Senator Joseph said it is frustrating to see the NSWMA clean an area of old household appliances and other natters of bulk waste from the drains and gutters only to find them filled with similar items mere days afterwards.
“I share the same sentiments of frustration because after you get a report of dumping in one area and Solid Waste cleans it up, you just cannot believe that two or three days after the area is again filled with garbage. The problem too is that this is taking place at non-traditional times, example two or three o’clock in the morning,” Sen Joseph revealed.
The senator is pulling no punches; he is laying much of the blame on the persons who are hired as litter wardens who are failing in their responsibilities to enforce the Litter Act.
“I want to be frank; the problem, as mentioned by the prime minister two weeks ago, rests with our public servants. You hire individuals to do a job and you get the bare minimum. We have litter wardens who are supposed to enforce the law, you have litter wardens who are supposed to investigate these acts, you have litter wardens who are supposed to ensure that individuals, once they are caught, are prosecuted. Unfortunately, we have complaints being made to the NSWMA office and people reporting that the cannot reach litter wardens on the hotline. We have a systemic problem with the public servants who are expected to enforce the laws regarding littering,” he explained.
Senator Joseph further explained that as legislators, they passed the relevant laws, hire people to enforce these laws, who are expected to carry out their duties.
He added that training is the answer as more people must be trained who are willing to enforce the laws of the land as necessary.
