Photo: Garbage on Belize City streets waiting to be picked up
Belize Waste Control on go-slow due to commercial dispute with City Council
“Perpetuity contract, garbage tax, and court failure”Amandala online
Wednesday, February 2nd, 2022
The best lawyers in the country have reportedly looked at the garbage contract between the Belize City Council (BCC) and Belize Waste Control Ltd. (BWCL) with an eye to finding a loophole to allow the BCC to renegotiate or cancel it, and the story is that it is fixed in stone, a marriage that cannot be annulled. The contract has a renewal clause that either of the parties can trigger, which means that the BCC can wish it away all it wants, but there’ll be no separation if the BWCL says “we want to continue being your partner.”
BELIZE CITY, Wed. Dec. 4, 2024
Belize Waste Control (BWC) is on a go-slow, and as a result the uncollected garbage of some Belize City residents is piling up on the streets. Reports are that the sanitation contractor is in a commercial dispute with the Belize City Council (BCC), but leadership within both entities are mum. The Council has not indicated which areas of the city are being left unserved. Mayor Bernard Wagner merely said that it is a legal matter and he will therefore refrain from making any comments.
One report is that the Council owes BWC over $800,000 in arrears for waste collection at an estimated $65,000 weekly. Another report is that, aside from the service agreement, the BWC is trying to collect payment for an old judgment given during the tenure of former mayor, Darrell Bradley.
There are now reports that the company has threatened to sue the Council if it does not pay up by a certain deadline. On previous occasions when the Council has had difficulties keeping up with the very onerous payment schedule, Central Government has stepped in to assist, both under United Democratic Party and People’s United Party administrations. This was the case in 2021 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when it was reported that the Council was 22 weeks behind in payments and owed around $1.3 million. On that occasion, the Council had announced it would vary the garbage collection schedule to once weekly rather than twice per week. In response, BWC accused the Council of trying to change the schedule in their contract rather than honouring their contractual payment obligations.
At this time, we do not have any report that Cabinet has formally discussed the commercial dispute with a view to bailing out the Council as the latter hopes. Speaking on the matter last Friday, November 30, the Deputy Prime Minister, Hon. Cordel Hyde, in response to questions about the apparent disruption in the garbage-collection operations, first said he was unaware of the go-slow, but that under the UDP Council, “This was an issue that happened every single year, multiple times in the year.” He added that they would have to sit with the Council to see how the matter could be worked out. “Ultimately, councils have peaks and valleys,” said Hyde in reference to the times in the year when there is an influx of revenue due to property tax collections, and the other times in the year when the revenue stream dries up and they have difficulties meeting their operational expenses.
In the past, Mayor Wagner has advocated for the introduction of a residential garbage tax so as to meet the hefty expense, but the proposal has not garnered central government support. Asked about this again, the DPM reiterated his sustained position that there is no need for a garbage tax, “We just have to figure out how to pay our bills and make sure we are consistent with that,” he said
Councillor Kaya Cattouse, who has the responsibility for the sanitation portfolio, today explained that it is not in the scope of the contract for the Council’s garbage trucks to pick up residential garbage, given that the work is outsourced to Belize Waste Control. In her measured responses, she said she could not say when the issue would be resolved.
Prime Minister John Briceno has since notified that he has scheduled a meeting with the Mayor and other officials from the Belize City Council for next Wednesday to discuss the matter. He has said that they also intend to look at the BWC contract as regards sustainability. The PM considers that this situation should not mar the success of this Council and affirmed that they have to find a solution. As to the suggestion of a garbage tax, Briceno says the Council can make the proposal to Cabinet for their consideration.
