One of the goals in the Vision 2030 Jamaica National Development Plan (NDP) is for Jamaica to have a “Health and Natural Environment”. The national strategies, to achieve this goal, are set out under National Outcome 13 “Sustainable Management and Use of Environmental and Natural Resources”.  National Strategy 13-4 is for Jamaica to “Manage all forms of waste effectively”. It is therefore recognized that, for a clean Jamaica, it is important for solid waste to be managed properly to safeguard public health and a clean environment.

The National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) is responsible for the waste management in Jamaica. A major part of NSWMA function is the collection and disposal of solid waste.  NSWMA’s mission is “to ensure a clean Jamaica by managing solid waste effectively through public cleansing, adherence to public health and environmental standards, public education and enforcement programmes supported by advanced technology, the participation of communities and the delivery of services by a highly trained and engaged staff”. The achievement of NSWMA’s mission is important given that a key strategy in the Vision 2030 Jamaica National Development Plan (NDP) is to support the management of all forms of waste effectively to achieve National Outcome #13.

The Auditor General’s Department (AuGD) is currently conducting a Performance Audit of NSWMA. The audit seeks to assess whether NSWMA is effectively managing its resources to collect and dispose of solid waste in keeping with its mandate.  We scoped the audit using a risk-based approach to determine if:

1. NSWMA’s waste management activities are sustainable to ensure timely collection and safe disposal of waste,
2. NSWMA is effectively engaging stakeholders and enforcing its legal provisions to foster good waste disposal practices,
3. NSWMA’s procurement and human resources management activities were consistent with good practices and value for money principles.

We also considered how the audit can contribute to the Auditor General’s wider strategic aims by:

• Promoting improvements in the use of public funds through better Governance and Resource Management; and,
• Providing an indication on the effectiveness of the current activities being carried out by NSWMA, to inform policy decisions on the future role of NSWMA.

Your comments relevant to our study may be useful and can be communicated by completing the relevant fields on our feedback form or email us at audgen@auditorgeneral.gov.jm.    Please note that while we may not respond to you directly due to the volume of information we receive, we value your responses.