The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is embarking on a one-month survey to collect information for a National Inventory database on hazardous wastes.
According to a press release, the EPA said the study was being funded by the government/United Nations Development Programme Capacity Building Project with technical assistance from the Caribbean Environmental Health Institute. The survey will target a number of priority sectors including agriculture, forestry and fishing, construction, energy, hotels/restaurants/resorts, manufacturing/processing, mining, retail trade, community/social/personal services, transportation/communication/utilities, wholesale trade and health/social work.
The EPA is tasked with ensuring that the management and disposal of hazardous waste is done in a manner that prevents harm to human health and the environment. In meeting this responsibility, it has undertaken steps such as establishing a legal framework to manage all hazardous waste; that is the Environmental Protection Hazardous Wastes Management Regulations 2000; and according to the Basel Convention on the Control of Trans-boundary movement of Hazardous Wastes and their Control. However, the agency said it is hampered by a lack of data, limited resources, lack of experienced personnel and technical expertise required to discharge its mandate. Further, it said there is a general lack of awareness of hazardous waste issues and disposal and treatment methods are lacking.
A comprehensive study to address these issues is currently not available; one of the major limitations being the lack of data on hazardous waste locally. In this regard, the EPA is preparing an inventory which will include data on the types and quantities of hazardous wastes generated in priority sectors and their locations. The data collected will be used to establish an electronic database on the location, types and quantities of hazardous wastes generated here. The database will then be used to develop a strategy to manage the said waste.
Further, the data will guide decisions in relation to hazardous waste management and disposal, especially in terms of setting up appropriate infrastructure and resource requirements for its management. Additionally, the data will allow Guyana to meet its international reporting obligations of the Basel Convention Secretariat and Regional Centre.
