Bill aims to curb illegal dumping on island

A bill to help curb unsightly illegal dumping along Guam's roadways was introduced today.

 The measure, introduced by Sen. Sabina Perez, follows recent media coverage of scenes such as this overflowing trash at the Zero Down housing area.

The Perez bill calls for mandatory garbage collection for all.

The Guam Solid Waste Authority estimates about 18,000 residents are not subscribed to its trash pick-up service.

Some resort to "piggybacking" off other's collection bins, and many just discard garbage into the environment.

Perez says universal garbage collection will increase GWSA's customers and help lower rates.

 

 

 

"Currently we estimate that half the customer base is on collection service based on GWA's customers, so if we double the amount of customers to generate more revenue for Guam solid waste and it would help curb potentially illegal dumping which has been one of the actual solutions that was brought up in an illegal dumping roundtable that Ii had in my first term, so now we're moving forward with this measure," she said.

For those who can't afford it,  a customer assistance program to subsidize the costs will be established.

Perez said, “Universal garbage collection is not only beneficial, but essential to our island’s ability to effectively manage waste and decrease our community’s risk of experiencing hazards from improperly disposed waste."