Newell welcomes travel waste ticketing proposal, urges broader waste management reforms

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Opposition spokesman on environment and climate resilience and Member of Parliament for St Mary Central, Omar Newell, has welcomed the Government’s proposed ticketing system for travel waste offences, while calling for a wider overhaul of the country’s waste management framework.

According to a release on Friday, Newell said the proposed measure should serve as a starting point for a more comprehensive national strategy to address Jamaica’s solid waste challenges.

“I welcome any step that takes seriously the damage that indiscriminate waste disposal is doing to our communities, our drains, our coastlines and our image as a nation. A ticketing system is a start but Jamaica’s solid waste crisis demands a comprehensive national response; not a single regulation in isolation,” he said.

Newell, who addressed the issue during his inaugural Sectoral Debate presentation last month, argued that the country’s waste management problems extend beyond roadside litter.

“Plastic waste clogs our drains. Flooding worsens. Communities suffer. And despite years of speeches and anti-litter campaigns, enforcement has remained chronically weak. We cannot ticket our way out of a crisis rooted in inadequate collection schedules, insufficient recycling infrastructure, and the near-total absence of extended producer responsibility,” he stated.

The Opposition MP also highlighted the connection between poor waste management and flooding, saying waste policy, drainage infrastructure and climate resilience should be addressed together.

He outlined several measures he believes are necessary, including stronger enforcement through empowered environmental wardens, modern recycling and waste separation systems, extended producer responsibility legislation for large-scale waste generators, and more reliable municipal waste collection services, particularly in underserved communities.

“Environmental responsibility cannot rest only on the shoulders of ordinary citizens while large-scale waste generators escape accountability. The companies whose packaging fills our gullies must be part of the solution,” Newell said.

He also cautioned that the effectiveness of the proposed ticketing system would depend on consistent enforcement.

“We have seen this before. Announcements are made, campaigns are launched, and then enforcement fades. Environmental laws without enforcement become mere public relations exercises. The measure of this Government’s sincerity will not be in the announcement of a ticketing system, it will be in how consistently, fairly, and how transparently it is applied,” he said.

Newell maintained that achieving a cleaner Jamaica would require sustained action beyond the introduction of fines.

“A cleaner Jamaica is absolutely possible. But it requires more than a new ticket book. Every Jamaican deserves to live in a clean environment. That is not a luxury. That is dignity,” he added.