There is growing discontent among residents in one Belize City neighborhood over, of all things - garbage. The 7NEWS was called out to the Kelly Street area where residents say they haven't just been forgotten by their area rep., they have been forgotten by the City Council, the sanitation company, and the garbage collectors. It is an ugly scene, but one that has inspired rarely seen civic pride in a much neglected neighborhood.
Keith Swift Reporting, [keithkswift@gmail.com]
You are looking at more than a week's worth of garbage, heaped on the shoulder of Kelly Street. The garbage is on the street because residents say the trucks and sanitation workers don't come here anymore. And, now despite this discarded religious portrait strewn amidst the trash, there is no salvation for this mess; it is garbage, most foul.
Easy Glen, Kelly Street Resident
"We are looking at something which is hazardous to people's health. These have been out here for so long and if you look down there you can see that it all types of different dirt down there. Kids run through here and these things are hazardous to people's health."
He may be right because several families live in this area. And this open garbage is within breathing space of dozens of children who trek past it many times a day.
Dean Bodden, Kelly Street Resident
"I am the captain of this block and I always want to see a better environment and thing so I just want somebody who is big in this business to try support me and give us a little thing so we can clean it up ourselves and make things look better."
We met Dean Bodden this morning raking up the dirt as school children passed by going home for lunch. He also dug this small drain to prevent flooding. He told us why he took the initiative for a clean up.
Dean Bodden,
"The reason why I decided to do it is because this thing looks real nasty and from the back there I have been trying to clean. Most of the dirt here is from the back there. I dug this little drain so that the water can run off and go into the drain."
Tyson, Kelly Street Resident
"My name is Tyson and I used to work with SEL, through Youth for the Future, and I liked the job and stuff like that and this used to be one of the areas we used to clean up but when they fired me, I came around here and saw that it is not like when I was there when I made sure the back here was cleaned up."
And so the residents in this neighborhood say they aren't asking for a handout and they aren't begging for help, they have one simple request.
Easy Glen,
"People need something here which could be working like a bin. They need a dirt here."
Dean Bodden,
"We just want a better environment so the people in my area can live better and so that they can at least see cleaner surroundings."
Keith Swift,
Why do you think the sanitation workers are neglecting this area?
Dean Bodden,
"Because the big man who is behind there isn't really sending them to this area. They are looking at the rich areas and this is the ghetto and so they don't care about the ghetto."
We couldn't get any comment from the sanitation company before newstime.
