Garbage has more profound social and political implications than meets the eye

On my last trip to Jamaica, I noticed the uncomfortable reality of seeing garbage all over Kingston. I had seen it in the country areas, but it was most pronounced as I drove through Kingston and St Andrew city areas. It is so condensed since the city areas are more condensed. My friend admitted it’s never been this bad.

With the garbage in mind, I decided to have her take me to the Riverton City dump. I never knew where this place was, so I was genuinely curious about this place. I’ve heard in songs since I was a child. It was about 7 am, so I expected to see many trucks moving back and forth, leaving trash. Only one truck was there. Garbage was not dumped earlier in the morning. The was quiet about, but the stench in the air was unbearable. I had to keep the window closed. With each Jamaican disposing of at least 2lbs of garbage each day, more than 50% of solid waste from around Kingston, one would expect several vehicles moving about with others waiting in line to unload. That was not happening. It makes sense then why so much garbage is on the street side.

The mass trash exposure around Kingston made me wonder why there is so much waste around the city, yet the Riverton Dump is quiet. My friend responded, “We don’t seem to have any trucks.” I couldn’t believe that. All the trucks…