Dear Editor,
There is a growing garbage dumping problem which is getting worse daily. Streets, roads, playgrounds, school compounds, trenches, canals, and every conceivable place have become the dumping grounds for these litterbugs. These people have no conscience and no sense of civic responsibility. They feel that society, the NGOs, the NDCs, the municipalities, and the government should be cleaning and disposing of their filth and garbage all the time, and that they have no responsibility to dispose of their garbage.
This littering problem is caused by human beings and is a serious environmental problem in Guyana. It can seriously affect our quality of life. This government and the previous government have been waging a continuous and never-ending battle against this man-made problem.
On October 30, 2013, the then Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment, Mr Robert Persaud, signed the legal supplement to the Environmental Protection Act 1996 (No 11 of 1996) which appeared in the Official Gazette on November 16, 2013.
Regulation 3 makes it an offence to deposit litter in a public place without reasonable excuse. The penalty for committing this offence is $50,000 in case of an individual and $100,000 in case of a company.
Regulation 2 states that a person who transports in or on a motor vehicle or trailer along any motorway, road, street, alley, lane, mall or thoroughfare, any substance or material which is likely to fall off or blow off the motor vehicle or trailer is guilty of the offence of littering. The fines are the same as above.
Regulation 3 states that if the owner of a bus or taxi fails to provide in a convenient place in his vehicle one or more receptacles for the deposit of litter he is guilty of an offence and the fine is $15,000.
Regulation 4 states that a person who throws down, drops or otherwise deposits into and leaves any litter in any premises owned or occupied by another without the consent of that person is guilty of an offence and the fine is $30,000.
The Regulations also state that it shall be the duty of all officers and constables of the Guyana Police Force to assist in carrying the provisions into effect. The Regulations also provided for the use of wardens to enforce the same. However to my dismay, some of the police stations are not even aware of the existence of these EPA Regulations and how they can prosecute alleged offenders.
Therefore, I would like to see the relevant authority educating the Guyana Police Force and the other agencies about their roles in charging and prosecuting offenders. This will go a long way in keeping our environment clean, healthy and litter-free. It costs us a fortune to keep our environment garbage free and it is time that the perpetrators of this nastiness are made to pay.
Lastly, I would like to compliment Mr Amarnauth Jaggernauth, a businessman of Chesney, who has spent thousands of dollars to clean the trench in the area which was full of garbage and filth dumped by some residents. I do hope that the residents will keep the place clean in the future and that other businessmen can assist to clean their respective areas.
Yours faithfully,
Haseef Yusuf
Chairman
Kilcoy/Hampshire NDC