Government, in a bid to improve the environment, will soon be enacting legislation to ban the importation of non-biodegradable material including Styrofoam and plastics and increase litter penalties, Cabinet Secretary Dr Roger Luncheon said yesterday.
Speaking to reporters at a post-cabinet press briefing, Luncheon said the government introduced the ‘Pick it up Guyana’ campaign, which focuses on the environment, tourism and the retail trade sector.
He explained that legislation will be introduced concentrating on the banning of the importation of non-biodegradable packaging material – Styrofoam, plastic containers and aluminium containers. “The nation can expect soon, legislation that would provide a variety of ways to seek to restrict and prevent the importation of goods that are packaged in non-biodegradable material,” he stressed.
He said that this material is often a sore sight for many as it accumulates on roads and in trenches.
Luncheon told reporters that among the other elements of the campaign would be legislation and the institutional means of introducing recycling and reusing of biodegradable material.
He said government is also seeking to introduce green tourism, “encouraging environmentally sustainable activities during our emphasis on tourism, particularly eco tourism”.
The enforcement of increased litter penalties as well as a solid waste initiative, he said, is also on the agenda.
