At a meeting of the Mayor and City Council earlier this month, Dr Carl Niamatali presented a proposal which would bring to a halt, the dumping and burning of garbage within the city.
In describing his proposal he stated that it is expected to lessen the effects of climate change and pollution by properly managing, auto, medical, industrial and other waste.
According to Niamatali, there are four major areas that should be focused on. Persons need to take responsibility for their actions, they need to make good choices, and they need to be disciplined and to show respect. “We need to choose a new pathway to make a difference” he said. The doctor added that the current way in which we dispose of solid waste is obsolete and comes with many disadvantages including the cost for the development of the landfills – which he noted amounts to about $2 billion, the smell and the health hazard that it poses. “The cost of developing each landfill site is over two billion dollars, it lasts ten years and costs $200 million per year. The monthly operating cost of the dumpsite is over $4 million and the operating cost for long distance transport of garbage is astronomical,” he said.
“The advantages of an incinerator which is what we’re proposing to deal with solid waste, is that combustible organic substances are burnt off and all that is left is an ash. Toxic gases will be processed by a computerised system to ensure that no toxic gases are released,” Dr Niamatali said. He further proposed that in dealing with solid waste, the amount of garbage produced needs to be reduced and persons should begin to recycle, emphasising that garbage must be separated. He noted that micro plastics have been discovered within the polar ice caps which are melting, and suggested that plastics and single-use plastic bags should be replaced and other practical materials should be used.
Niamatali told the council that the proposal for incineration to be used does not mean that all waste will be burned when collected, reiterating that only what needs to be burned will be burned and whatever is recyclable should be recycled which will be of benefit to the city council and residents of Georgetown. He said that work should be done to get everyone involved in the proper disposal of waste which includes recycling, while noting that the proposal if implemented, would be a partnership between the private sector and the Mayor and City Council. “There’s enormous amount opportunity for a project like this to succeed… if we have the right skills, right location,” the doctor said.
