(PanamaDigest) Panama’s new Authority of Urban and Household Waste began trash collection duty at 6 a.m. today, Monday, with 3,000 employees, 30 rented trucks and 30 transferred from the former municipal urban and residential waste management department.
The new authority also inherits an estimated $40 million of debt, $55 in default payments and 1,500 tons of capital city garbage from the former authority.
“Collection was quite irregular over Christmas and New Year,” said Enrique Ho, Director of the new authority. “Many people did not work and only 200 tons [of waste] were collected.”
He added that there were some areas where trash has not been picked up in 20 days.
The Authority of Urban and Household Waste will have a $82.7 million budget starting January 15, of which Ho says $24 million will be allocated for payroll and $25 million to rent equipment such as compactors, dump trucks and backhoes.
With information from La Prensa and La Critica. Truck numbers vary depending on reports.