Open Consultations on solid waste management strategy unveiled

Sep 07, 2017 News

The Ministry of Communities has updated its solid waste management strategy to manage the country’s solid waste. This draft was open for discussions to various stakeholders on Wednesday, at the Regency Hotel on Hadfield Street.
The updated strategy has three main components. These are – sustainable waste reduction and management strategy, operational standard procedures and background information and analysis of Guyana’s solid waste sector.
A consultant, Samuel Wright, has planned waste management updated strategy for all the regions to begin before the end of the year.
The objectives of the updated strategy are a cleaner environment, better public health protection and enhanced economic opportunity. Some of the goals include a cessation in littering and illegal dumping, increasing the numbers of stiff penalties and identifying and monitoring dumping hot spots among others.
Mr Samuels said that the enactment of the solid waste management draft bill which was developed in 2014 but was not approved by Cabinet. He also said, “There is a space between Cabinet’s decision and the Ministry’s response which would come after consultations. But solid waste management is crucial and must be addressed now… We do have a 2017 – 2030 solid waste management strategy under the theme “Putting waste in its place” in Guyana, but there is progressive implementation of the strategy”. He also stressed the need for consultation.
Head of the Sanitation Management Unit, Ministry of Communities, Gordon Gilkes, stated the loss of control of solid waste is dangerous to public health and the environment.
He also stated that it would be irresponsible of the government not to improve its policy for solid waste management.
Gilkes explained that poor waste handling together with uncontrolled waste dumping can pollute water, attract rodents and insects, increase greenhouse gas and increase floods due to blocked drains.
“The strategy proposes an integrated approach to addressing the solid waste management crisis countywide. It is intended as a call to action and provides a road map for the institutional support, regulatory framework, appropriate technologies community awareness and involvement, financing, management indicators etcetera. That will aid in the integration of a sustainable waste management system towards a circular economy,” Gilkes explained.
Stakeholders included the Mayor and City Council, National Parks Commissions, Environmental Protection Agency, Guyana Tourism Authority, National Task Force-Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Puran Brothers, Central Housing and Planning Authority and among several others.
The Ministry has held over 30 consultations to date in all ten administrative regions and hopes to finalise the strategy before the end of 2017.

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Open Consultations on solid waste management strategy unveiled

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