Bagga Fish Fest garbage crisis

by Jada Chambers

An apparent rift between the Barrouallie Fish Fest Committee and the Barrouallie Town Board has led to a garbage crisis of sorts.

The Bagga Fish Fest Committee is struggling to find an alternative space to dispose of the garbage following the monthly activity, as they claim having been given the boot to the facility where their garbage was usually placed. Organizer of the Bagga Fish Fest, Lenroy Francis spoke with SEARCHLIGHT on Tuesday, September 12, 2024, and said that for the past three months, the committee has been prohibited from disposing their waste in a garbage disposal area that is located to the back of the Barrouallie Town Board building.

The public bath which is currently being used to temporarily store the garbage until pick-up day

He told SEARCHLIGHT that this has become a burden on the committee as they are now tasked with finding an alternative disposal area for their waste.
Francis said they are hesitant to leave the bin and bags in the open from Saturday morning until Wednesday (the day when the garbage trucks from the Solid Waste Management Unit make their weekly collection) as dogs, goats and homeless people can easily access them and create a mess.

So, the Committee has taken the step to store the garbage in a public bathroom that is located in the park, where the festival is usually held.

However, this causes the bathroom to be inaccessible for users, including primary school students who frequent the park for their Physical Education classes. He said that maggots inhabit the rotting garbage in the public bathroom creating a health hazard to users.

Francis said they want to regain permission to dispose of the garbage at the accustomed area, which he believes is the most convenient and affordable way to dispose of the waste from Bagga Fish Fest. Attempts by SEARCHLIGHT to contact the Barrouallie Town Board were unsuccessful.

A trucking agent, who wished to be unnamed, said they are willing to provide two garbage receptacles to the Bagga Fish Fest Committee so they could properly dispose of their waste.

The Bagga Fish Fest Committee is a group of community members who organise a monthly gathering in which residents offer mainly fish products to the public for sale. It is hosted in Bamboo Square, Barrouallie.