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Bus terminal trash crisis criticized

LA PRENSA

unsightly: Waste from the Penonomé public market and the community at large piles up at the bus terminal’s small trash bin.1037578

Users of Penonomé’s “pequeña terminal” complain that the trash piling up in a small bin at the side of the building has become a health hazard.

The cart was placed at the terminal by the Municipio de Penonomé more than 10 years ago, and is not emptied on any regular basis. Bus riders say that the cart collects stagnant water and waste from the public market, causing fetid odors and attracting flies. What’s more, travelers must trudge through the garbage that overflows on to the platforms to reach buses.

Seventy-five buses and upwards of 4,000 travelers move through the “pequeña terminal” daily, en route to rural destinations throughout the region, including La Pintada, Aguadulce, San Miguel, Toabré, and San Pedro. The trash problem is exacerbated by riders who buy produce at Penonomé’s old public market next door, and toss their garbage in the terminal’s bin.

“I’m here every day from 4 a.m. and the trash piles up,” said Narciso Rodríguez, a frequent rider. “That effects the community.”

Alberto Herrera, a driver on the Penonomé-La Pintada route, explained that the problem goes back over 15 years. “Administrations have come and gone and yet there has never been a solution. My passengers suffer the brunt of the nightmare –the bad odors-- because they are just four meters from where the trash bin is located,” he said.

The bin, which was originally intended to collect the public market’s waste, is now used regularly by the community.

Arístides Ballesteros, head of the Departamento de Saneamiento Ambiental del Ministerio de Salud de Coclé, said that the Municipio de Penonomé has assumed some responsibility for the crisis because it contracted Reciclo Enterprise, which does not offer regular service. Ballesteros said he has ordered a report of the situation and is taking measures to maintain hygienic conditions at the public market.