JIS Press Release,
January 14, 2026:
The Kingston and St.
Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) has proposed that the National Solid Waste
Management Authority (NSWMA) focus exclusively on regulating Jamaica’s waste
management programme.
Under
the proposal, responsibility for daily waste management activities would be
decentralised and assigned to local authorities, in keeping with provisions of
the NSWMA Act, 2001, according to Mayor of Kingston, Councillor Andrew Swaby.
He
was speaking during KSAMC’s monthly meeting at the Corporation’s office in
downtown Kingston on Tuesday (January 13).
Councillor
Swaby noted that the legislation, “clearly envisaged the Authority primarily as
a regulator, not as the main operator”.
“The
Act assigned the NSWMA responsibility for formulating standards, guidelines and
codes of practice for solid waste management, as well as monitoring and
enforcing compliance. This is a regulatory function focused on oversight,
accountability and enforcement, not routine service delivery,” he said.
Councillor
Swaby pointed out that the agency is currently tasked with both regulating the
waste management system and carrying out daily garbage collection.
He
contended that the entity should return to its “proper role as regulator”,
while responsibility for day‑to‑day collection is decentralised and placed
under the local authorities.
“The local authority will then be empowered to
contract private operators to deliver the service. The NSWMA would focus on
ensuring standards are met, regulations are enforced and that the system
operates efficiently,” the Mayor added.
Councillor Swaby further stated that the Act already
provides the flexibility to make this shift, as it empowers the Authority to
delegate certain functions to local authorities and agents.
He proposed a phased implementation, beginning with a
pilot project to be conducted in Kingston and St. Andrew.
“Such a pilot would allow the Government to test the
model, refine contract arrangements and address operational challenges before
considering national expansion.
What
is being proposed is not the removal of public oversight but the strengthening
of the regulator, the operators and local authorities empowered to act,” Councillor
Swaby stated.
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