As part of its continuing public awareness campaign in the lead up to the national ban on single use plastics in 2021, the Ministry of the Presidency’s Department of Environment has said strict action is needed from all stakeholders to transition to the use of reusable products, including shopping bags and water bottles, while cutting out non-essential items such as plastic straws.
“In the final analysis, the solution for combating plastic pollution is predicated on the use of alternatives to single-use plastics that are both renewable and biodegradable,” the Department said in a full-page ad published in the Guyana Chronicle newspaper on Sunday.
It also noted that it is envisaged that the ban will favour a reduction in the overall waste stream and concomitantly a reduction in the cost of waste management. “Apart from other positive aesthetic environment benefits, such as aesthetics improvement, this initiative can also lead to the development of indigenous green businesses and the creation of green jobs in keeping with the country’s… transition to sustainability,” it added, while also pointing out that the move is also in consonance with the Green State Development Strategy that is to be implemented from next year.
In giving the background of the planned ban, the Department reminded that in 2018 the government took a policy decision to ban the importation, manufacture, sale and use of single-use plastic bags and other single-use plastic products, including plastic plates, cups and utensils from 2021. The decision followed on the heels of a similar ban on Styrofoam that was implemented in 2016.
The ad stated that while there is a deficit of data on waste types for Guyana, a 2010 CEMCO Inc and HYDROPLAN study for Georgetown, which generates around a quarter of the total waste stream, found that plastics constitute almost 20% of the total waste stream.
In explaining the plans for the rollout of the ban, the Department said it will be preceded by a series of stakeholder consultations with various stakeholder groups, including manufacturing companies, supermarkets, civil society and the public. “Consultations are intended to raise awareness and encourage action across the country on the dangers of single-use plastics and littering,” it added, before also noting that these efforts would be complemented by the development of a draft bill to amend the Environmental Protection Act and legally enforce the ban on single-use plastics.
