Banks must investigate disposal of plastic waste

Feb 03, 2010 Letters

Dear Editor,

I have noted with interest Chairman Clifford Reis of Banks DIH who made a statement at their Annual General Meeting.

He is reported to have said that Banks will phase out the soft drinks glass line this year and invest in expanding the output of the PET Line, which is not biodegradable which has posed a problem.

But the bigger problem, he contends, lies with the level of ignorance that pervades society giving as an example the fact that Guyana’s coast is below sea level and the flow of water has to be controlled with sluices, yet they are always filled with plastic bottles that contribute to the risk of flooding.

The many letter writers who go to the press at the drop of a hat are significantly silent on this issue. I suspect they are in a state of shock of the policy of Banks DIH with respect to the dumping of plastic bottles on the citizenry – for them to deposit in the sluices!

I am certain that Banks with over a billion dollars in profits can find a way to collect the empty plastic bottles and recycle them for myriads of purposes. Are Guyanese less ignorant than citizens of other Caribbean Islands where we do not see plastic bottles decorating their landscape or sluices?

A fraction of a billion dollars spent on investigating how these islands dispose of their plastic waste can earn Banks not only more billions, but the gratitude of a nation who are suffering from the consequences of lack of proper environmental practices.

But I daresay the urge for profits overwhelm the Directorate of the Company and the concerns of the environment fade into insignificance as a consequence.

Norman Leow