The Cabinet invited the Chairman of the Antigua and Barbuda National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) to share his findings on an exhaustive study undertaken of the functioning of this government-owned entity.
i. The National Solid Waste Management is managed by a Board, whose members are selected from various entities within the government and from the private sector. The object is to ensure that varying perspectives are brought to bear on the decision-making from the Board.
ii. 400 workers are currently employed by the NSWMA and are called upon to do specialized tasks. A further 80 less fortunate youth from ABICE and other institutions will be employed part-time on weekends to assist in cleaning and beautification countrywide, offering them the opportunity to earn a stipend while studying.
In an effort to increase productivity, the Board has made further recommendations to include employing specialized staff for landfill management, and purchasing further equipment in addition to the new garbage trucks set to arrive shortly.
Nearly 200 work on beautification of the highways, towns and villages and others collect discarded bulk household items, for proper disposal.
iii. Each week the cost of labor is approximately XCD800,000 totaling 3.5 million per month. NSWMA has earned XCD55 million since January 2024 to the present. Nevertheless, the authority operates on a deficit; it owes approximately 36 million dollars to contractors which it intends to liquidate over a period of three years. The Cabinet agreed that no-one who sits on any Board may offer services to the authority or corporation over which the Board exercise authority.
