JEDDAH, 16 September 2003 — Large garbage containers are on virtually every other street in Jeddah, a sign of the city’s renewed efforts to fight pollution. Many people feel that these containers are a godsend in that they provide a relatively close and easy solution to deal with household trash. For the motoring public, however, the containers are not only a nuisance but a hazard as well.
The containers, which number over 80,000 units Kingdomwide, are strewn all over Jeddah in a haphazard and disorganized manner. They take up parking places, block lanes of traffic and pedestrian walkways. Some have been forgotten by those responsible for their care and emptying, and remain full for up to two weeks, providing a savory buffet for crows, cats and rats.
“The containers are an eyesore. They are everywhere. They block the streets; they block the pavement and they take up much needed parking space,” said Abdul Ghafour Al-Jizani, 29, a bank teller. “Sometimes they are placed on street corners preventing drivers from being able to see oncoming traffic. There is one container near my bank that always interferes with traffic. Cars have to line up to pass it, one at a time. Sometimes when it is emptied by the garbage trucks, it is left at such an angle that the larger SUV’s like mine, have to come precariously close to scratching the sides when we drive by,” he continued.
One particular container near Danube Supermarket in Al-Hamra, was crashed into by a late model BMW. The driver, an 18 year-old student, told Arab News, “I was passing another car as I came around a corner and found the container right in front of me blocking the road. I slammed on brakes but couldn’t stop in time. The crash did SR17,000 worth of damage. Had it not been blocking the road, I would not have hit it.”
Along Jeddah’s Corniche, large dumpsters are placed in indentations in the pavement, specially designed for containing these receptacles. Though some feel that there are too many containers — approximately one every 150 meters in places — those Arab News spoke to, praised the forethought and planning the city planners showed in designating a space for the containers. Imama Al-Juneid, 47, a homemaker, told Arab News, “I approve of how they have cut out a small part of the sidewalk for the garbage bin, right here along the corniche. But they need to do this in our neighborhoods as well. They have only done it here because they want Jeddah to look nice for the tourists. But what about the rest of us who live here? Why not in all the streets and districts?”
The main problem that faces placing the containers lies with the operators of the refuse removal trucks. Arab News spoke to one driver early one morning as he emptied a dumpster.
He said: “I know that we are blocking parking spaces and part of the street but what can we do? The bins are supposed to be placed at an angle that will allow our trucks to line up with the bin so that it is automatically lifted into the back of the truck and emptied.
“Sometimes people park their cars too close to the bin, preventing us from properly doing our job. We sometimes just leave the dumpster full instead of risking hitting somebody’s car, or we will position the dumpster in the roadway, thereby allowing easier removal the following day.”
