The Sanitation Service Authority (SSA) was forced to suspend garbage collection on Tuesday after just three hours in the field.
Public relations officer Carl “Alff” Padmore said despite an appeal to members of the public to exercise care on the roads, drivers kept stirring up volcano ash which affected the ability of drivers to safely navigate the roads.
He said the amount of ash also affected the workers behind the vehicles despite them being outfitted in the correct personal protective equipment.
“This made our job very difficult this morning,” Padmore said.
Collection of household waste started around 6 a.m. and was suspended at 9 a.m. Padmore said they were preparing to put about 40 trucks on the road across Barbados on Tuesday.
“We are making an appeal to the members of the public to stay two car lengths or at least one truck length behind the SSA trucks,” he pleaded.
Padmore said overtaking should also be done “slowly and cautiously” to avoid disrupting the ash.
Another concern is that the ash is being mixed with regular household garbage and he asked people to desist from this practice.
The SSA spokesman said ash should be placed in appropriate bags – crocus, heavy duty garbage bags and so on – for use in the garden or given to a farmer. It is not to be mixed with household waste.
La Soufriere volcano in St Vincent and the Grenadines had its first explosive eruption in just over 40 years on Friday and ash in varying volumes rained on Barbados in the ensuring days. A national cleanup efforts commenced on Monday. (SAT)
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