The National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) was set up under the National Solid Waste Management Act 2001 and began working in March 2002. The NSWMA was created to build a better garbage collection system for Jamaica. Before this, companies like MPM, WPM, NEPM, and SPM Waste Management Limited handled waste collection. These companies still collect trash, but now the NSWMA oversees their work.

The NSWMA is financed through property tax contributions from the Parochial Revenue Fund and internal revenue. For the Financial Year 2024/25, the Authority has an approved budget of J$ 4.6 billion, with revised estimates increasing to J$8.5 billion to strengthen solid waste collection and disposal services across Jamaica.

The NSWMA is mandated by law to undertake and ensure that the following functions are executed to: 1. effectively manage solid waste in Jamaica to safeguard public health; 2. Ensure that solid waste is collected, stored, transported, recycled, reused or disposed of, in an environmentally sound manner; 3. Promote public awareness of efficient solid waste management and foster understanding of its importance to the conservation, protection, and proper use of the environment and; 4. Introduce cost recovery measures for services provided by or on behalf of the Authority.

To summarise, the NSWMA’s job is to collect and dispose of garbage properly to keep Jamaica clean and protect public health. To achieve this, the staff and the Board of the NSWMA must ensure there is robust corporate governance. Let’s see how they are doing!!