City Mayor pushes to outlaw Styrofoam

Jul 12, 2015 News

City Mayor Hamilton Green says that he intends to lobby the new government to implement the long-promised countrywide ban on Styrofoam, given the fact that the material forms a major part of the garbage content in and around the city.
Green has highlighted as imperative that the government rids Guyana of this product that can have a very deleterious effect on the environment. The Mayor’s plans come after years of the ban being proposed but never implemented by the previous People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) administration.
As he addressed members of the media on Friday, Mayor Green remarked, “Some time ago, the previous administration had promised to ban Styrofoam and plastic containers.” The City Mayor said that he intends to remind the new government of this.
Members of the media were told that during a visit to the Sussex Street koker last Sunday, as the men were hoisting its door to perform some works, he observed about six to seven feet of Styrofoam trapped at the end of the koker door.
The Mayor lamented that Styrofoam has been used widely in the city and given the culture of littering that prevails, it has been a serious challenge to the environment. Cities in the United States like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland and Seattle have a similar ban in place.
Initially, talks of the Styrofoam ban had left a bitter taste in the mouth of exporters. In 2012 Robert Persaud, former Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment, had promised a ban on Styrofoam containers within the “next two years.” The timeframe elapsed even while the Minister was still a part of government yet Styrofoam boxes and cups are still being used widely, particularly by fast food outlets.
Persaud had said that Styrofoam constitutes about two percent of the waste stream in Guyana and is widely used in the food industry. He proposed that national restrictions on Styrofoam will apply only to its use as food service containers.
At the time, the former Minister said that the private sector has teamed up to make biodegradable containers available and would have been seeking to use ECO PAK containers, which serve similar functions as Styrofoam containers in terms of holding capacity and strength.
The major difference with the ECO PAK product line is its positive contribution to the environment. ECO PAK containers are 100 percent biodegradable within 90 days and are prepared from perennial plants.
However, the ban never materialized and the date for its implementation was extended. A senior official of the said Ministry had said that a new date is yet to be set and is awaiting approval from the National Assembly before implementation.
While Styrofoam is not considered hazardous waste, however, its ubiquity and impacts on the environment can be detrimental, as it will never decompose. It is a part of the Municipal Solid Waste stream and is managed as such.
However, the indiscriminate dumping of solid waste including Styrofoam in Guyana has threatened public health, safety and welfare, urban aesthetics and resulted in death or illness to marine life.

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City Mayor pushes to outlaw Styrofoam

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