By Jamar Knight on Friday, 4 March, 2022 at 01:50 PM

Residents of Robinson Close are frustrated at the lack of action taken against an illegal dumping site in their area.

Nestled between the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus and the St Stephen’s Reservoir lies the old Roger’s Quarry, a major cause of concern for many of the residents. 

Peter Babb, a resident who has lived in the area for most of his life, said that dumping has been occurring in the area for over a decade. He also indicated that several attempts were made to contact the authorities.

“The Constituency Office indicated that they would send off letters to the relevant channels. The police were called on a number of occasions and were asked to tell individuals to stop dumping,” he said.

Another resident, Janice Ward, a retired pensioner and homeowner, expressed her frustration at the continued lack of attention given to the area. She stated that her home was in front of the quarry, and she had seen trucks almost at a daily basis filled with waste, coming into the quarry and returning empty and a ‘bobcat’ and a ‘backhoe’ were constantly working in the area.

Ward further explained that the build-up of garbage had caused increased health hazards. Pest infestations (flies and rats) has become a bigger problem in the area. Feral cats had also moved in following a new food source and were becoming a nuisance. The built-up garbage has also impacted drainage in the area and flooding of the quarry has become prevalent.

“At this point it is hell… if I could find some way to move my house I would... I just want some peace before I close my eyes,” she lamented.

Both residents mentioned that fires were another common occurrence in the quarry and that the smoke from the built-up garbage was becoming a threat to the health of people in the area. Babb also stated that while the heavy machinery had been removed from the quarry and access to certain areas was blocked by locked gates. He expressed that after the removal of the equipment, representatives from the constituency offices inspected the area but no other issue has been resolved.