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Plastic bottle generators must recycle all products

Jul 22, 2010 News

– Solid Waste Management says Legislation may be needed

A presentation to the recent Caribbean Environmental Forum and Exhibition held in Jamaica stated that the government of Guyana must require all plastic bottle generators to recycle all of its products, including water bottles. It was made by Hubert Urling of the Municipal Solid Waste Management.
The presentation was titled “Informal Waste Separation and Waste Diversion: The Guyana experience” and added that Government should prepare a policy to promote the recycling of all other plastic containers.
Urling added that legislation may be needed to enforce explicit requirements that all types of plastic bottles should be returned to the bottlers/importers through a buy back system.
Urling’s report on the solid waste management system in the capital city shows that for a number of decades the Municipality has not been implementing a system formulated for waste separation.
He adds that studies have shown that the current informal system of separation accounts for 18 per cent of the waste generated. This separation is conducted by persons who collect cardboard and glass bottles among other items to sell to various agencies.
Pointing out that 83,000 tons of waste is generated annually by the city, Urlin provided statistics that show that paper, including cardboard and newspaper, accounts for 23.9 per cent of the waste, while plastics, bottles and food boxes, account for 10.3 per cent. Organic food and garden waste accounts for 50 per cent.
With this in mind, Urling strongly recommends that the impact and benefits being derived from the diversion of a significant part of the waste stream deserves consideration. He pointed to the garbage collectors who do the separation, in addition to the landfill pickers and employees of the private collectors who gather the waste.
Because waste separation is not mandatory, Urling explains in his presentation that the 18 per cent of the waste informally separated and diverted away from the landfill sites, could amount to 14,940 tons of waste annually, but does not since not all waste disposers separate.
The potential for recycling by Banks DIH and Demerara Distillers Ltd are medium to high, according to Urling, while it is low for other bottles including Ansa McAl products, since this will depend on their transportation to glass manufacturers in neighbouring countries.
While government has stopped the trade in scrap metals, Urling’s report indicates that due to an active market for steel, copper and brass, there should be the potential for greater.
Pointing that the Georgetown Municipality currently expends an average of US$1.5 million annually to treat with solid waste management, Urling points out that of this amount, US$750,000 is expended on collection and US$540,000 on disposal. respectively.
Estimated informal separation of waste of the traditional recoverable materials could result in a cost saving of approximately US$29,000 annually. Additionally, the landfill space is saved and will allow for its life to be lengthened.
Urling concludes that the general public and the informal sector have proved useful in reducing the quantity of waste, allowing for waste diversion from the landfill and some cost saving from the materials not handled by the Municipality.
The informal separation has also brought about economic benefits through material recovery for reuse and recycling and had also aided in employment creation for those involved in the activities of the sector. It should be formalised.

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