Belize Waste Control - that's the company that picks up your garbage - but today they announced that next week your garbage may not be picked up as usual.
A release issued this morning says that starting Monday the garbage collection trucks will only roll out on a limited schedule.
The company says the hardship has become necessary because the Belize City Council has abandoned its obligations owes it for August, September, October and November of this year.
Now the company says it cannot meet the cost of operations - and so while they are not picking up your garbage their employees will be picketing City Hall starting on Monday morning.
At noon today - we caught the mayor at another event and asked her about the release -which - incidentally she was hearing for the first time:….
Jules Vasquez
"The employees of the company intend to picket City Hall on Monday between 8 am to 12 noon; the company has instructed its attorneys to recover monies. What's up with that?"
Zeniada Moya-Flowers, Mayor of Belize City
"The owner of the waste control company is a good man, a decent man. I will speak with him directly to ensure that it does not come to that level. This is a matter that I will deal with to ensure that there is no such protest and there is no such need for protest."
Jules Vasquez
"How about the interruption of service in terms of, they say they'll scale back on pickup of garbage?"
Zeniada Moya-Flowers, Mayor of Belize City
"Again I will be discussing with him because I believe with fairness we should be able to dialogue. I am willing for us to sit and dialogue one-on-one. Something can be worked out."
Jules Vasquez
"One reading this it seems that it's a the point like 'show me the money.' I don't think he wants to hear from you that he is a good man and a kind man or that he wants to dialogue. 'Show me the money' that's what this release is saying."
Zeniada Moya-Flowers, Mayor of Belize City
"Listen, that's why I told you at the end of the day, Jules this situation is not a new situation, we have since had a financial controller in place so the owner can see this isn't something that the council wants to do, I mean this is the same situation we faced before even now with a financial controller it's the same this that is happening."
Jules Vasquez
"But obviously somebody is being paid and I don't see BML saying that they want to picket, last year it was them so it would indicate to me and I don't know this that maybe they are being paid and Waste Control is not."
Zeniada Moya-Flowers, Mayor of Belize City
"There will be some people who will say well Mayor or council, the grass will continue grow, grow! But the garbage have to pick up and that is something that people will say so please make sure you pay Waste Control. Now that's something that we can discuss as a council, I won't just......[Jules Vasquez - obviously the financial controller hasn't been doing that] Well that's a matter that you will need to take up with the financial controller."
Jules Vasquez
"But who decides who he pays? You don't make the decision?"
Zeniada Moya-Flowers, Mayor of Belize City
"No, it's not that, we as a council do make decisions [Jules Vasquez - but then he goes and does his own thing?] I won't get into that. at the end of the day you have to have resources to be able to make payments, at this time resources are very limited to be able to making payments and its simple because of the slow season, we will ensure that we increase payments next month. This is something we will be committing to Waste Control and I am hoping that the owner will in fact try to work with us. I will be committing to paying him, making increased payments next month so he must can work with us, I know it's difficult and he is a private company but I will be asking him personally to work with the council."
The Mayor departs for a conference tomorrow - so presumably those meetings will be held before then.
Waste control had no comment but says it has instructed its attorney to take steps to recover the money.
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