Dear Editor,
I wish to thank Ms Jackson for her comment on ‘Pick it Up Guyana‘ (‘Trash should not be left for someone else to pick it up,’ SN, June 15). It provides me with an excellent opportunity to highlight some of the fundamentals of ‘Pick it Up Guyana.’ It was launched by the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment as a multi-faceted approach to lifting the face of the environment of Guyana. It is more than picking up trash thrown down by others, and transcends into awareness-raising, stronger enforcement, and the involvement of the private and public sectors.
The private and public sectors and civil society organizations are being engaged to support the establishment of more signage, the placement of receptacles, and long term maintenance of strategic areas countrywide.
Clean-up exercises will be one of the many activities planned to raise awareness among the general public of the need to clean the environment.
These exercises will be complemented with enforcement by authorities such as the Environmental Protection Agency and the Guyana Police Force against persons found littering. Additionally, community wardens will be appointed and empowered throughout Guyana to extend the reach of enforcement activities.
Editor, arising out of ‘Pick it Up Guyana‘ will be a longer term strategy to carry out a stronger public awareness programme in schools and among the general public to ensure the sustainability of awareness-raising which would culminate in a change in the behavioural attitudes of all Guyanese. A change in behaviour is key to a reduction in waste in Guyana.
Other initiatives under ‘Pick it Up Guyana’ will focus on encouraging the reduction, re-use and recycling of garbage through various fiscal and practical approaches.
The ministry in collaboration with other stakeholders (public, private and civil society) will continue to carry out clean-up drives, but will in the next weeks begin stronger measures outlined above to ensure the sustainability of ‘Pick it Up Guyana’ and to an even greater extent, the environment of our beautiful country Guyana.
Yours faithfully,
Clydecia Spitzer
Pick It Up Guyana
Ministry of Natural Resources
and the Environment
