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Waste control workers picketed Mayor Zenaida Moya’s office at City Hall again this morning. But there is a temporary truce to report tonight since Belize Waste Control has confirmed to us that the much talked about check for $31,000 dated December 16th has been cleared at the bank. Even better news is that this morning they received another check for $31,000. But while that’s good news, for Waste Control it isn’t good enough. They still claim the city owes them for 5 additional weeks and until they are paid in full – Manager George Lamb says they will continue their protest.

George Lamb, Manager – Waste Control
“The Council really has been out of seven weeks payment that is overdue so we really want to let them know that we are serious and we need our money. The citizens of Belize City need to enjoy the good garbage collection service and the City Council is responsible to pay us in order for us to do it.

This morning I talked with Councilor Willoughby and he made mentioned that probably by Friday they will be cutting us another check. We don’t know how true that is and if we get that check, we are hoping that the bank will clear it.”

Keith Swift,
Are you frustrated that it had to come to this to get paid?

George Lamb,
“Well what is difficult to deal with Keith is the deafening silence of the Mayor. We believe that waste management in Belize City is an essential service and should be treated as such and it doesn’t seem to be a priority for a city official when since her name, among others, were affixed to a check that the bank never really wanted to honor from December 16th to now and we have no excuse, no apologies, no nothing. We really have a problem with how the Council is behaving.”

Keith Swift,
So garbage will be picked up as usual now?

George Lamb,
“Yes, we never stopped collecting garbage. What we have been doing with the best we have and all we have; we have our trucks out there and we weren’t as efficient as we used to be and so people could see that but we now that we have some money, probably we could do better but Keith some of those payments should have been way back in November, at least the last week in November.”

We were unable to confirm if today’s check cleared at the bank and more importantly if the council plans to clear its arrears with waste control by the end of the week. Lamb also told us that indeed they may have been owed for 13 weeks under the David Fonseca led City Council. He said the difference might have been that the council entered into dialogue with the company. He says the difference now is that the only city councilor talking to them is Phillip Willoughby.