Last week the City Council declared that Belize City's festering garbage problem had been solved after a breakthrough meeting between Belize Waste Control and the Leader of the Opposition. But despite a garbage patrol of two dedicated trucks a day, mounds of garbage continue to appear across the city on the daily. Two weeks ago the Mayor hinted at a conspiracy, but today the gloves were off: straight up, she said that political operatives are being paid to dump garbage on the streets.
Mayor Zenaida Moya, Belize City
"We have seen some individuals and there are political operatives who we have seen. We have asked them why they are doing so and they are being paid."
Keith Swift,
So you're saying people are being paid to put garbage on the streets?
Mayor Zenaida Moya,
"Yes, some persons. We have found those individuals and clearly everybody sees that there is no reason why all...you would go to a street and you would find a whole lump of garbage there. Normally what we would do, as residents, we would take our garbage from our homes and place it immediately in front of our homes or in the garbage bin but to now find a whole pile of garbage in one street, that is crazy, it is ridiculous and there is no other reason why that should be there other than just plain mischief on the part of different persons who may not be happy that we are in office and who want to have us look bad."
Keith Swift,
How are you going to solve this problem?
Mayor Zenaida Moya,
"Well we are, as I told you, putting in place, enforcing the littering fines and if any persons, now they understand, if any person is found littering, and even those operatives, if we find them, eventhough they may not be able to pay the fine, I hope they understand that they could be imprisoned if they are not able to pay the fine."
The maximum penalty is a fine of $500 or three months in prison. So far no one has been actually caught.
