Seasonal trash build up expands garbage crisis

The scents and sounds associated with Christmas year are being superseded in Panama by the smell of garbage and the noise of collection trucks working through the night.

Panama’s ongoing garbage collection crisis has been exacerbated by the seasonal pileup of trash from homes and restaurants. The problem is still in the hands of the municipality, working with emergency funds and equipment.

The head of the city’s garbage operation (Dimaud)), Harmodio Montaner, said that the authority cannot take care of cleaning if it doesn’t have the equipment for the task.

He was referring to the $2.4 million earmarked to deal withwaste collection until January2 when Dimaud will be replaced by a news national authority.

The last gasp Dimaud is are looking to rent 27 dump trucks, 15 bulldozers and 15 trucks, compactors, he said on TVN.

This will help the collection team keep the city “as clean as possible” "he said Currently 1,123 tons a day, is being collected, which is “good” on normal days, but with the seasonal build he acknowledged that with there are remnants of trash, in all districts of the capital.