Consultations started yesterday for the development of a National Integrated Solid Waste Management Strategy (NSWMS) that is projected to result in the sustainable use of 40% of all generated waste by 2040.
This was stated yesterday by Environmental Consultant Samuel Wright at the launch of consultations, which was held at the Umana Yana.
Wright divulged that consultations for the NSWMS will be held in 25 communities in all ten regions and that the outcome document produced from these sessions will support the enactment of the National Solid Waste Management Bill.
According to a press release from the Ministry of Communities, Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan related that the strategy will form a guideline for government’s agenda as it relates to waste collection, transportation and disposal, including improving the waste management infrastructure, enforcing existing legislation and promoting waste-to-energy initiatives. One clearly defined goal, as highlighted by Satrohan Nauth, Environmental Engineer attached to the Sanitation Management Unit of the Ministry of Communities, is to establish sanitary landfill facilities in all ten regions of Guyana.
The release said the launch, attended by numerous stakeholders including mayors, deputy mayors, members of the business community, regional chairmen and sanitation service providers, emphasised the need for public awareness and education in order to efficiently manage waste.
It was noted that re-education of the society was pertinent, especially among children, to produce a “new cadre of Guyanese.”
Junior Communities Minister Dawn Hastings-Williams stated, “There are daily reminders about the state of our capital city just a few months ago.
The piles of garbage that were left lying on the street and the way illegal dumping had become a way of life.
No more can we afford to allow our citizens, their children and grandchildren to regress to a status quo of wanton disregard for the environment.
“We are therefore tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that the necessary legislative provisions and infrastructural mechanisms are in place so that the emphasis on cleanliness is not just a piece of document but an integral part of our emerging culture.”
