Waste, open bags, scattered garbage, bad odors, among others, are part of the landscape on the roads and streets of the opita capital, before the passive gaze of the citizenry. According to Ciudad Limpia, these factors are generated by a lack of civic culture and responsible management of waste in commercial establishments and informal sales.
Newspaper of Huila, Neiva
By: Gloria Camargo
No, it is not a matter of perception, in Neiva there is more and more garbage on the streets due to a lack of civic culture. This was stated by Luis Alberto Huguett Linero, manager of the Ciudad Limpia company in the city of Neiva.
The manager also pointed out that the entity has been very judicious in the sense of being efficient, giving answers to all the PQRS of the users. And they added that for the moment there has not been any type of difficulty in regards to administrative silence.
Huguett Linero added that in terms of garbage collection rates, these are based on a formula established by the National Government, which includes the services provided: sweeping, collection, transportation and final disposal.
“It is important that they know that the rates, before being applied, are sent to the Superintendence of Public Services, so that they can be validated, validated, and subsequently applied,” he pointed out.
He added that it is not true that corner houses pay more for garbage collection than other houses. And he established that the rate is applied according to the stratum and according to the production, it has absolutely nothing to do with the issue of whether it is corner or central.
Manager, on the subject of garbage collection, what is happening? Why do you see so much garbage on the streets of Neiva?
Fundamentally, the word that defines what is presented today in Neiva is lack of civic culture. We sweep main thoroughfares three times a week and people assume that we have to pass every day and since they assume that then everyone takes out their garbage on the main avenue, so it seems that the car does not pass or has never passed.
Do people not respect the schedules of the routes?
What is happening in Neiva is chaos where people do not respect schedules or frequencies. Many times it is seen that the garbage has been outside for two days and people get uncomfortable assuming that it is a breach that we have. But we’ve been here for 23 years, and the frequencies and schedules have never changed, suddenly the schedules and sometimes it’s night and other times it’s day, but every two or three years. When we make some changes, they are for planning purposes, to continue providing a better service, but fundamentally it is that, it is the lack of civic culture and informality.
What about informality?
Informality is occupying public spaces and is generating the chaos that we see as in Carrera 16 or Carrera Fifth. Streets where we see that informal vendors go every day to market their products, but the garbage does not pass every day, so they take the garbage and put it in a separator, because they already know that if they leave it on their sidewalk, the dog, the inhabitants on the street, they are going to create disorder and that has been the issue, that there is a lack of environmental authority and the imposition of subpoenas, to which we do not have access because we are not an authority.
With respect to businesses that sell food, what happens?
There is an issue that is critical and that is that when the merchant chooses a place, he looks at the factors that are going to be included in his business: the kitchen, the bathroom, and the room where the tables are going to be placed, but he never looks or worries. Where are they going to put the garbage? So if I generate garbage every day, as it is organic waste in the matter of food and I cannot store the garbage with the climate of Neiva with 34 degrees Celsius, the organic waste decomposes and generates a bad smell. So what do they have to do? Take the bags every day and take them out because they do not have deposits to store.
What solutions have been proposed for that?
We have talked about “containing” Neiva, that is, that all users have 55-gallon plastic containers with wheels and a lock, so that they can deposit their garbage. It would be located outside the establishment, and when the cleaning service does not pass, keep your car and the next one will take it out, so that when we pass, we can enable it as a garbage room, but they say that the cost is high, and I don’t know what else. But we cannot propose more alternatives because there are none.
What remains for Neivans in this situation?
The only thing we can say is that the only tool we have is to respect the schedules and the collection frequencies.
What happens if this dynamic of lack of civic culture continues within the framework of the San Pedro festivities?
We must bear in mind that the social and environmental effects are determining the inclination of the tourist to choose their sites, for example for Santa Marta, and people abstain because El Rodadero has a collapsed sewage system. In Cartagena, due to the fact that vendors and businesses have exaggerated prices, we see news about this situation every so often. In the case of Neiva this is going to become a negative focus with the garbage because many will say, “we are not going to Neiva for the garbage”, and that is not the idea. It is trying to make us all aware, that we have to show a kind face, a clean face and all we have to do is comply with what is established, nothing more. You have to take out the garbage on the day that corresponds to it and not the waste on the street, and so Neiva will change.
