In a nation where women still account for less than 30% of senior leadership roles in traditionally male-dominated sectors, the 50-year legacy of Garbage Disposal & Sanitation Systems Ltd. (GDSS) stands as a powerful example of grit, grace, and growth.
Founded in 1975 by Dorothea Gordon-Smith and her late husband, Michael, GDSS has evolved from a single-truck operation into one of Jamaica’s most respected waste management companies, with a clear focus on sustainability, community well-being, and equity.
Today, GDSS operates a fleet of 35 trucks, employs over 100 Jamaicans, and serves approximately 650 clients across 11 parishes, with offices in Kingston, Montego Bay and Salem. The company offers comprehensive waste disposal, recycling, and sanitation services to both commercial and institutional clients, including some of the country’s most recognized organizations.
From one truck to a nationwide network
According to Gordon-Smith, GDSS was born out of necessity. Her husband needed garbage collection for the printing company that he was running, and the couple decided to invest their savings into purchasing a single truck. Soon after, she dove headfirst into building GDSS, leaving behind a career in banking on the advice of her mother, who suggested she would have “more time” for her young family. “Not so,” Gordon-Smith said, recalling years of long hours, hard work, and sacrifice.
What started small grew steadily through decades of adaptation. In the 1970s and ’80s, GDSS diversified into paper supply for West Indies Pulp and Paper, then glass collection for West Indies Glass Co., pivoting each time market shifts forced closures. These early lessons in resilience became a hallmark of the company’s strategy.
In 2024, GDSS made significant strides in sustainability—exporting over 1,000 tonnes of glass and facilitating the collection and recycling of over 500 tonnes of plastics and paper through strategic partners.
These achievements are especially notable in a country that generates an estimated 800,000 tonnes of solid waste annually, according to the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA). Only about 8–10% of Jamaica’s waste is currently recycled, placing companies like GDSS at the forefront of the push for a cleaner, more circular economy.
Celebrating through service
In May, GDSS launched its golden anniversary celebrations with a church service at Webster Memorial United Church, a long-standing client of over 26 years. The service brought together a wide cross-section of the company’s history—team members, partners, and loyal clients, some of whom have been with the company since its inception.
“With fifty years of service, growth, and unwavering commitment to our community and environment, our story is not just about longevity. It is about resilience, vision, and dedication,” said Gordon-Smith in her remarks. These words rang especially true given the obstacles GDSS has overcome: industry volatility, shifts in recycling infrastructure, and changing national waste management policies.
Also marking its 50th year, on June 7, GDSS hosted its “Healthy You, Healthier Environment” Health Fair for the Riverton City community and environs—the neighborhood adjoining the company’s head office and home to Jamaica’s largest landfill.
In a community historically underserved and stigmatized due to its proximity to the landfill, the health fair offered a welcome moment of pride. The gesture is consistent with GDSS’s broader mission not only to manage waste, but also to help communities thrive despite the challenges posed by their environment.
The day-long celebration of health, wellness, and environmental awareness provided free health screenings in partnership with the National Health Fund and the Diabetes Association of Jamaica, alongside wellness booths, massages by Exhale Spa, and family entertainment. Longtime clients such as Digicel, JPS, Cal’s Manufacturing, Salada Foods, Lasco Financial Services, the Registrar General Department, and others were also present, underscoring GDSS’s unique business model rooted in community engagement and long-term trust.
“From the outset, we envisioned a future where the management of waste would actively contribute to a healthier community,” Gordon-Smith shared.
Woman-owned, future-focused
Gordon-Smith’s journey as a woman leading a waste management company is itself remarkable. The Jamaican waste and sanitation sector remains heavily male-dominated, particularly in operational and executive roles. Her leadership—spanning all five decades—represents an extraordinary breaking of barriers and a roadmap for inclusive growth.
According to a 2023 Caribbean Development Bank report, women-led businesses in nontraditional industries still struggle to access capital and industry recognition. Yet GDSS has grown organically, built a solid reputation, and continuously reinvested in innovation.
With climate change, waste management policy reform, and circular economy principles now at the center of regional sustainability agendas, GDSS is poised to remain a vital player in Jamaica’s environmental future.
As Dorothea Gordon-Smith told those gathered at Webster Memorial, quoting Winston Churchill: “Success is not final; failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.”
Half a century on, that courage still defines GDSS—and Jamaica is cleaner, healthier, and more hopeful because of it.
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