Japan Donates Second Garbage Truck to Belize City

Belize City is about to get a facelift! Thanks to the Government of Japan, a second compactor truck has arrived to help tackle garbage management. This generous gift is part of the Japanese government’s Grassroots and Humanity Security Project, which kicked off in November 2022. This new truck joins the first one donated last February, and together, they’re set to make a big difference in keeping our growing city clean and beautiful. News Five’s Marion Ali was at Memorial Park to capture the moment. Here’s her report.

 

Marion Ali, Reporting

The brand-new compactor garbage truck, generously provided by the Government of Japan, will join the first truck they donated. Councilor Kaya Cattouse, who oversees sanitation, says this powerful equipment will help make those messy spots look much nicer and more appealing.

 

Kaya Cattouse, City Councilor, Belize City

“The arrival of this second truck marks an expansion of our capacity to meet the growing demands of Belize City. Last year, when we received the first compactor truck, we immediately saw the difference it made. Not only in the efficiency of waste collection, but also in the morale of our hard-working sanitation teams. We were able to tackle more of the hot spots, effectively reducing illegal garbage disposal, and extended file up of trash along the garbage collection routes.”

 

Japan’s Ambassador to Belize, Nobuyuki Shirakata, shared the practical reason why the donation was necessary for the rapidly growing city.

 

Nobuyuki Shirakata, Japan’s Ambassador to Belize

“Japan’s consistent investment in Belize’s solid waste management is bearing fruit and is enabling the Belize City Council existing facilities to become more efficiently operational to provide reliable collection of waste disposal services for the population of over sixty thousand residents in the municipality. Annually, twenty-one thousand six hundred and sixty-five metric tons or over sixty-six metric tons daily of garbage waste is earmarked for collection.”

 

Belize City Mayor Bernard Wagner says these trucks will handle the extra work that isn’t covered by the garbage collection contract between the City Council and Belize Waste Control.

 

Bernard Wagner, Mayor, Belize City

“Having two trucks now to provide that service along with our dump trucks really make up, have us operate much more efficiently and effectively. We provide that sort of back end for those areas that people just dump garbage in areas that are abundant. And so, these two trucks really help us in alleviating that sort of behavior in our city.”

 

The compactor trucks will transport the waste they collect to the Belize City garbage transfer station off the George Price Highway. Marion Ali for News Five.