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Dover Stinky Skip
Dover Stinky Skip

BU acknowledges the effort by the Nation newspaper Editor highlighting the garbage disposal problem in Barbados. An overflowing skip dubbed ‘Dover Stinky Skip’ located at Dover, Christ Church – a key tourism location – was featured on todays front page. How the minister responsible, Denis Lowe, continues to head the Sanitation Service Authority (SSA) boggles the minds of sensible Barbadians. There is an obvious breakdown in the waste collection (and disposal) system in Barbados and the buck stops with minister Lowe.

Some interesting information was shared with the public today. We learned that the National Conservation Commission (NCC), a state entity under the ministry of the environment is paying Hinds Transport for the rental of the skip featured on todays front page. Why has garbage collection in Dover/St. Lawrence Gap been outsourced to a private entity? Isn’t the SSA operating under the same ministry? Why does the ministry of the environment headed by minister Denis Lowe continue to outsource collection to the private sector if the SSA is mandated to deliver the same service? Is this a similar arrangement the SSA has with the Williams Group to provide services at Mount Stinkeroo?

Is the NCC the same statutory corporation that sent home staff claiming it not longer had the resources to keep them employed?

Sandals Barbados donates fence to Dover Sports Club
Sandals Barbados donates fence to Dover Sports Club

What is interesting is that the member of parliament for the St. Lawrence area John Boyce is also the minister of health. BU understands he is also a member of Dover Club, although nowadays he prefers to spend his free time at the Barbados Golf Club, hopefully on his time. Wasn’t minister Boyce along with minister Lashley spotted in the same area last week dutifully attending a grip and grin session with personnel from Sandals who handed over a fence to the Dover Club? Did they not spot or sniff the skip that is strategically located nearby? Isn’t it ironic the Dover Stinky Skip was located in close proximity to the new fence donated by Sandals to the Dover Club?

Something stinks alright and it is not the Dover Stinky Skip!

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221 responses to “Lowe Garbage Waste”

  1. Thinker Avatar
    Thinker

    @ David
    While I agree the buck stops at the minister, aren’t these problems more operational rather than policy related? And if so, don’t you think that SSA/NCC staff , particularly management should take some accountability as well?

  2. David Avatar
    David

    @Thinker

    If we accept what you have suggest as true the buck still stops with the minister.

  3. Thinker Avatar
    Thinker

    @ David,
    Should the minister micromanage such a situation like this one. What about the SSA head and the superintendents responsible for the areas? Don’t we pay them to manage and solve such problem, to be proactive rather than reactive?

  4. Bush Tea Avatar
    Bush Tea

    @ David
    Why does the buck stop with this minister?
    Does he not report to a Cabinet?
    Is there not a PM?
    Don’t we have PEOPLE on this island in the final analysis?

    Shiite man, this minister was well documented even before elections – in relation to his arrangements with a certain “Allard”.

    Who made him a minister after that expose?

    The jokers on the back bench sat down and took that?
    The opposition cool with that?
    …you heard anyone complain?

    WE REALLY EXPECT MORE FROM HIM?

    steupsss….
    Time to wake up the elected joker at whom the buck really stops…… or better yet, let us try to wake up the quarter million brass bowls buck stoppers…

  5. David Avatar
    David

    @The Thinker

    All ministers in Barbados micromanage. Low micromanaged at the Caves of Barbados as an example before it was given to Sealy..

  6. HAMILTON A HILL Avatar
    HAMILTON A HILL

    Bush Tea asks if the opposition is cool with that. Take it from me Bush man, the Opposition is as tattered and divided as the Cabinet of which you spoke. Its leader has been effectively silenced where in house matters are concerned, so understandably the focus was elsewhere. The rest of the opposition busy opposing each other, while Dem others trying to show all and sundry the brilliance of creating the largess Cabinet. In whose control is The Cookie Jar?

  7. Colonel Buggy Avatar
    Colonel Buggy

    Thinker December 30, 2014 at 9:57 PM #

    @ David,
    Should the minister micromanage such a situation like this one. What about the SSA head and the superintendents responsible for the areas? Don’t we pay them to manage and solve such problem, to be proactive rather than reactive?.
    ………………………………………………………………………………………………….
    If what is happening at SSA ,was similarly happening at BL&P or Massy or Goddards, those heads at the top would be rolling. Only in Government.

  8. Simple Simon Avatar
    Simple Simon

    HAMILTON A HILL December 30, 2014 at 11:37 PM”In whose control is The Cookie Jar?”

    Alas the cookie jar is in the control of anybody and everybody EXCEPT those who actually pay the taxes.

    The politicians and their friends have lost all respect for us.

    I shouldn’t really say friends, because people who befriend you because you have money and or power are not really your friends. Let the money or power disappear and what do you have left?

    Ask Rodney Wilkinson how many friends he has right now.

    Is it not true that were it not for his elderly aunties he would be naked, hungry and homeless?

    Where have all the friends gone?

  9. Artaxerxes Avatar
    Artaxerxes

    “How the minister responsible, Denis Lowe, continues to head the Sanitation Service Authority (SSA) boggles the minds of sensible Barbadians. There is an obvious breakdown in the waste collection (and disposal) system in Barbados and the buck stops with minister Lowe.”

    I think that statement should be rephrased to state “It boggles the mind of sensible Barbadians that Denis Lowe remains a minister”, given all that has occurred under his watch.

    On November 12, 2013 while at the site for the new SSA headquarters in Vaucluse Depot, St. Thomas, Denis Lowe assured Barbadians relief was coming for residents experiencing garbage collection problems, since the SSA was set to receive 9 new trucks and some service vehicles.

    However, on November 26, 2014 it was reported in the Barbados Advocate that Denis Lowe revealed the SSA was working on purchasing 20 new trucks costing between $460,000 to $470,000. He also opined that the current garbage collection problems are not any worse than it has ever been.

    In the usual DLP style of playing the blame game, Lowe was reported as having said:
    “When we took over the ministry, the SSA was just recovering from having seven or eight trucks on the road as early as 2005, there was a crisis in Barbados. Nobody goes back to that reference point… but it is now our ship to sail.”

    Essentially, over a year later, the garbage collection problems still exists.

    But we must be fair to Lowe as well. After all, he admitted during a press conference held at his office in the Warrens II Tower on November 26, 2014 [as reported by a press release from the prime minister’s office] the collection of garbage in every district across Barbados on a daily or weekly basis, was no longer a sustainable option.

  10. Simple Simon Avatar
    Simple Simon

    Can Dave Hinds of HInds Transport tell us how and why the Ministry of the Environment/National Conservation Commission is renting skips from his company?

    I know that the Sanitation Service Authority has skips for rent. I’ve rented a skip from SSA myself.

    It seems to me that sometime we are too in love with the private sector. The truth is that the private sector does not always do things better, more efficiently nor cheaper.

  11. Simple Simon Avatar
    Simple Simon

    Can Minister of the Environment etc. Denis Lowe tell us how and why his Ministry is renting skips from Hinds Transport?

    I know that the Sanitation Service Authority has skips for rent. I’ve rented a skip from SSA myself.

    It seems to me that sometimes we are too in love with the private sector. The truth is that the private sector does not always do things better, more efficiently nor more cheaply.

  12. HAMILTON A HILL Avatar
    HAMILTON A HILL

    @ Simple Simon….As to your question to the Minister I say to you that if you find the answer to my initial question, right there you’ll get yours.

  13. Colonel Buggy Avatar
    Colonel Buggy

    But I do agree with the SSA’s official who said that Barbadians must take a lot of the blame for the selfish and indiscriminate disposal of rubbish. And , ironically among those Barbadians is the Government of Barbados itself . In its quest to “save money” it has depleted its work force, at the bottom that is, to such an extent, that we no longer have people sweeping and maintaining many of Bridgetown’s Streets and public car parks. This morning I saw a Bob Cat being used , senselessly ,to weed grass in a car park, while ignoring the build up of garbage a few yards away. Prior to that it was engaged in a de-bushing exercise in the same car park, virtually in the heart of Bridgetown . Where are the Health Inspectors who come around to our homes and prosecute us at the first sign of a mosquito? What are they doing about the derelict and abandoned buildings in and around Bridgetown which are being used as unofficial dump sites,and especially the one abandoned by the now defunct Bajan Helicopters, and another on Cheapside on the Jubilee Bus stand , near to Shopsmart. Totally unacceptable.
    We dress in our finest on Christmas morning and walk through Queens Park with our , heads held high. We dress like a dogs dinner and pay high prices to attend a do at Bagatelle Great House. We don our graceful dresses and elegant suits and attend exclusive functions at the Central Bank and the LLoyd Erskine Centre, and after all these grand shows and functions are over, we hock our dresses and raise our trousers legs to negotiate the piles of stinking garbage blocking our paths. Pride and Industry ! What a farce.
    As far as I am concern this Government could call it a day, as they have achieved their objective, which seemingly, was to bring this once beautiful Barbados, to destruction.

    CAR PARK IN BRIDGETOWN
    http://imgur.com/5wQOscC

    NOT FAR FROM THE BARBADOS TOURISM INC. WHITE ELEPHANT CAR PARK
    http://imgur.com/J7lvcdO

    BAJAN TOURIST ATTRACTION NOT FAR FROM JOLLY ROGER MOORINGS
    http://imgur.com/X5J8zoo

  14. David Avatar
    David

    @Colonel

    Yes Barbadians need to be more sensitive to the environment BUT the leadership also has a right to send the right signals to the society that all us not well.

  15. John Hanson 1781-1782- I SERVE 1788- 1792 BARBADOES. Avatar
    John Hanson 1781-1782- I SERVE 1788- 1792 BARBADOES.

    Lowe down and Dirty

  16. Dirty People like Politicians Avatar
    Dirty People like Politicians

    WESTBURY, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) — Police have arrested a man they said broke into his girlfriend’s Long Island home and barricaded himself inside with their 13-year-old son for nearly seven hours before surrendering.

    Police charged Alex Mitchell, of Barbados, with burglary, unlawful imprisonment and endangering the welfare of a child.

    http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/03/21/police-man-barricades-self-son-in-l-i-home/

  17. ac Avatar
    ac

    As barbados continues to fight the many challenges brought about through years of incompetence by past leadership.my wish is one for the govt not to be hamstrung by doubts and pessimistic ideaology,remaing focus and not preturbed by hollow noise and political views to cause distress,and shatter.

  18. David Avatar
    David

    Minister Lowe the BU household et al (taxpayers) want to know who are we outsourcing the collection of garbage to Hinds Transport and at the same time sending home workers. Does the SSA not own the resources to perform garbage collection? What is the cost savings if we repair broken equipment instead of outsourcing?

  19. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    Buh wait! Is this the fella that run as an independent in the 2013 election?

  20. Simple Simon Avatar
    Simple Simon

    Message to Dave Hinds of Hinds Transport:

    Dear Dave: Do you like seeing the good name of your company on the picture above?

    Do you think that the photograph is good advertising for your company?

    The government may not care about the good reputation of your company, but you have to care. If the contract only allows you to empty the skip once a week when you can see that it needs emptying two or more times a week, maybe you should tell the government/NCC/Ministry of the Environment to take their contract and stuff it…[where the sun don’t shine] instead of allowing them to garbage your company’s good name.

  21. Dirty People like Politicians Avatar
    Dirty People like Politicians

    @ Hants

    Buh wait! Is this the fella that run as an independent in the 2013 election?

    Yes that is so quick to call everyone a theft and fraud.

    Takes one to know one.

  22. Dirty People like Politicians Avatar
    Dirty People like Politicians

    @ Hants

    Buh wait! Is this the fella that run as an independent in the 2013 election?

    Yes that is so quick to call everyone a thief and fraud.

    Takes one to know one.

  23. Gabriel Avatar
    Gabriel

    How could anyone in their right mind support a party with the inglorious record of the stinking Democratic Labour Party.Bree gone to glory but his description remains as a lasting caution to Bajans,……the stinking Dems..
    It was the former member for St Thomas the Honourable David Cathcart Simmons who with the brainiacs of the Glorious Barbados Labour Party,put their heads together and solved what Branford Tate the then minister of health could not solve and which became notoriously known as Mount Stinkeroo,a label coined by former Surgeon Specialist Leacock,then a newspaper columnist and a long time resident of St Thomas.
    What I am saying is that the Democratic Labour Party has a history of incompetence and intelligent Bajans shy away from its membership,as a result its elected representatives are the scum of the political class asses.Ask the King, Herod the 2nd aka Fumble Stuart who is responsible for all that is wrong in Barbados but who sleeps well at night because he has no vision.He cannot see beyond the present hour.
    Let us compare the leadership of the Big Four of the English speaking Caribbean,Guyana,Trinidad,Barbados and Jamaica with the jokers we have today.Burnham/Ramotar;Williams/Bissesar;Barrow/Stuart;Manley/Miller.
    In all 4 countries the leadership is incompetent and the countries are in crisis.With this motley crowd of pretenders….Ramotar,Persad-Bissessar,Stuart and Simpson-Miller,who will take us seriously other than the vultures of the investor class.in old Bajan parlance when the head bad the body bad.Stuart can’t tell Lowe to shape up or ship out.Lowe would laugh at him.In 1986 Barrow appointed a cabinet and subsequently appointed a performance manager to train and monitor his ministers who had no experience in managing anything.By 1987,Barrow was about to fire 6 of them.They were saved by his untimely death.Some of them are still around and if they have the guts they can deny it.

  24. David Avatar
    David

    Gabriel why don’t you fess up and name the four?

  25. Wily Coyote Avatar
    Wily Coyote

    @All

    “MICROMANAGE”

    All Ministers and Most senior Civil Servants in BARBADOS could not manage or micromanage taking SHIT without help from the indigenous Green Monkey, looks like an ape and behaves likewise.

  26. Gabriel Avatar
    Gabriel

    Ask Wes or Warwick,they in they know

  27. old onions bags Avatar
    old onions bags

    When will this name we now associate wid ..”whey My cut” ever be out the news whenever its come to Swinging dung low?….BTW if wanna think ee K….think again….to think this is D same fella dat life din in the departure lounge hanging by a string just the odder day….and befoe he go and look for the Lord befoe he get tekk up…ee want mooooooooooooooooooo munney !

  28. Gabriel Avatar
    Gabriel

    …..they in the know

  29. pieceuhderockyeahright Avatar
    pieceuhderockyeahright

    @Colonel Buggy

    Thanks for the pictures.

    The BlogMaster David created a site “BajanFlick” for images like these to be hosted.

    You and others like you who post the actual evidence are to be commended for bringing the goodies for the uninformed public to see

    It is my hope that we continue to see this practice replicated in other areas, like bank account statements of previously impoverished ministers who were in the bailiffs hands 6 years ago but are multimillionaires today

    You see we tend to believe that we need freedom of information and other desirable yet unattainable integrity laws when all one needs is evidence of the indiscretions and the infelicities in other words catching DEM in de act

    Hopefully, once the public of Bulbados sees it in black and white, it may make a difference, but then again, that is wishful thinking…..

  30. David Avatar
    David

    @PODRYR

    Good idea, will update to Flick later.

  31. well well Avatar
    well well

    Saw a news clip couple nights ago where a euro rep made bajans aware that the dlp government got a total so far of a 48 million dollar draw down tranche from Europe and are due a third tranche in the future. Now, did stuart , sinkler or any other ministers share this information with their bosses, the taxpayers.

  32. David Avatar
    David

    @Caswell

    Not sure we agree. PDC for example has many times referred to Deeds as their leader, the easy conclusion was made by many when Deeds responded.

  33. Crusoe Avatar
    Crusoe

    Headline on back page of today’s nation highly appropriate..

    ‘Lowe To Talk Garbage’.

    Bang On!!!

  34. well well Avatar
    well well

    Forgot to mention that said 48 million dollars is designated specifically to re train workers who were laid off this year, said workers by the way, most of whom have not yet received their severance pay from dlp, hope they remember that next elections.

  35. Mobert Avatar
    Mobert

    Election by June 1. Predicted here first.

  36. Prodigal Son Avatar
    Prodigal Son

    To say that this is the WORST government Barbados ever had is a gross under statement!

    When you think things cannot get any worse, they get worse! Not even a simple task like allocating resources to the SSA so that they could have the necessary amount of trucks to collect garbage island wide………..they cannot get right. The problem was lack of trucks and nasty Barbadians continued their nasty habits by dumping their garbage every where even more than they did before which is totally unacceptable.

    Hinds Transport is also responsible for the skip at “Miami” Beach and it is always over flowing because people have to have somewhere to put their garbage if they are not getting collections.

    There was a skip in the Christ Church cemetery, people were putting their garbage there and you know what the wicked bastards at SSA did, put a skip there with the bottom all rotten out. I went to the cemetery to a funeral a few weeks ago, the same skip was there turned on its side with a pile up of garbage there as whoever is dumping their garbage there, continues to do so……so the SSA will have double work. To my utter dismay, when I visited my parents’ grave which is nearby, the same skip is still there turned on its side, people are still leaving their garbage and the cemetery workers are leaving their garbage there as well. This is very disturbing and I plan to write the SSA about this.

    If we had real a Westminister type of government, Lowe would have gone long time. He is vying for position number one as the most incompetent in this dlp administration. Worst ever!

    May the good Lord help us in 2015.

  37. Tudor Avatar
    Tudor

    Lowe to talk garbage doesn’t he do that all the time?. After six years of DLP GOVT AC still blames the previous Govt wow seems to me that the present Govt is still in election mode.

  38. old onions bags Avatar
    old onions bags

    Dirty Low Dung Garbage. Shoite when D gully out ..that’s all …eva one a dem! Pissy Pissy!

  39. David Avatar
    David

    When will the press conference be held?

  40. old onions bags Avatar
    old onions bags

    Everything almost, during their blunderous terms have been blamed on the Global Economies yet Brazil, Singapore, Taiwan Guyana Canada Sweden and I can go on and on…have been registering GROWTH during 2008-2014. Why then? …How come?

    Were these places immune from Global Economies.?…… Common sense dictates that an over taxed economy will present NO GROWTH… increasing VAT by 2.5 % collected $54 million but hauled in $-120 million in bounced cheques..Why then are we hearing mo and mo taxation coming?…why not news of rekindling a dying ecomony…make sense now doesn’t it? Question is ….who seeing and who aint.

  41. Tudor Avatar
    Tudor

    The IMF announced today that Grenada’s economy will grow – small % next year

  42. old onions bags Avatar
    old onions bags

    Within the Caribbean, Guyana was projected to post the biggest improvement, with a forecast of 4.4 percent growth, followed by the Dominican Republic at 4 percent and Haiti at 3.6 percent.

    In the wider Caribbean basin, Panama led the way, with a projected GDP growth rate of 6.8 percent in 2014.

    The report did not include GDP data for overseas territories or for Antigua, the Bahamas, Barbados or Grenada. The World Bank did not list a reason for their absence.

    For the full data set, see below:

    http://www.caribjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/gdp.jpg

  43. David Avatar
    David

    Thanks to Colonel Buggy for the pics now featured on BajanFlick blog.

    December 31, 2014

    Garbage an Integral Part of Bridgetown (World Heritage Site)

    garbage_wharf_carpark

    https://bajanflick.wordpress.com/

  44. lawson Avatar
    lawson

    How long did that broken catamaran lay on the rocks at the harbour. who was expected to put it in the dump

  45. Colonel Buggy Avatar
    Colonel Buggy

    What a cop out ,with Minister Lowe promising that from now on the SSA will be acquiring trucks made from ” nose to tail” by one manufacturer. To infer that the manufacture of a vehicle,assembling it using various components manufactured by other manufacturers , is a very poor excuse as to the reason why the SSA ‘s Fleet is continually breaking down. Very few manufacturers, put together a vehicle with all the major components manufactured by themselves. The closest that I can think about is International/ Navistar and Frelghtliner, and for Mr Lowe’s information , the Sanitation Service in recent years has been equipped with Freightliners and Internationals / Fords and they, like all the others did not last long.
    Many truck manufacturers now prefer to purchase transmissions from Allison and others, and drive axles from other sources. The compactor at the back is made by a manufacture who specialises in Compactors and not truck chassis or engines. But hey ! if Barbados has the money, we will be sure to find a manufacturer in the United States of China who will slap together an-all-in-one something to Lowe’s specification.
    Gone are the days of Austins and Bedfords, when everything ,except the body ,(cab) was made by each individual manufacture.
    Another problem that will arise , if SSA decides to extend the life of its vehicle beyond 10 or 12 years, which would be a goddamn miracle -, is that the all-in-one manufacturer,may stop making and supplying replacement parts after a given time, as they are in the business of selling complete trucks and not spare parts to prolong their lives.
    What a pity that time after time this country refuses to make use of the very experience resources available locally.

  46. David Avatar
    David

    What did minister Lowe attempt to explain in todays press conference? Did he address the systemic issue which has brought the garbage collection/disposal to its knees in recent months? Did he address why there has been heavy outsourcing by his ministry to collect garbage? What has his ministry done of late that he is so bold to commit to service level agreement with the public? If his ministry does not keep the promise to respond to hotline calls in 48 hours what is the penalty and who can the public hold accountable?

  47. millertheanunnaki Avatar
    millertheanunnaki

    @ David December 31, 2014 at 5:29 PM

    Bridgetown a World heritage site????
    Don’t make us laugh. Don’t be surprised if Bridgetown loses its UNESCO designation rather soon. With the amount of garbage and the many dilapidated vermin infested buildings Barbados would find it exceedingly difficult to maintain such a rating.

    Instead of the authorities using the pictures of illegally dumped garbage as a wake-up call to do something immediately about the unsightly and unsanitary conditions you can bet that they and their apologists on BU will go into an attack mode condemning bloggers as being unpatriotic and trying to make the DLP administration look bad in the eyes of the world. As if the visitors to the Island are blind.

  48. David Avatar
    David

    We note the minister made a fleeting mention of the waste to energy plant.

    @Miller

    No worries let us hail today as a victory (of sort) for the citizenry, minister Lowe was driven to address taxpayers.

  49. Enuff Avatar
    Enuff

    Wait who run Hanson from the blog? 🙂

  50. Enuff Avatar
    Enuff

    “Should I go around and call for the removal from this country of every single Barbadian who litters? Should I? If people want to react to circumstances not caused by the Government, the result of the habits of some Barbadians, then let me make them an offer. Let them agree to leave the country and I will agree to resign.”

    Wahlosss hitting hard and he right like ‘ite to pompersett as he is not making sense. What does the non-collection of garbage got to do with littering?

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