Homemakers targeted in household waste workshop. Tourism potential hampered by poor waste Management...says Sam Wright.

Homemakers targeted in household waste workshop. Tourism potential hampered by poor waste Management…says Sam Wright.

Oct 06, 2019 News

A household waste management workshop, sponsored by the Ministry of Communities and facilitated by Environmentalist Samuel Wright, has enlightened several women, across Linden, on properly managing their waste. The workshop was held in the Linden Enterprise Network (LEN) Conference Room recently.
The purpose of the workshop was to educate homemakers about reducing household waste, through training, information and support, to help them effectively manage same.
The premise is that an informed household makes informed choices with respect to waste management and reduction, Wright pointed out.
Wright said that littering and illegal dumping are widespread, and sustainable financing measures are lacking, coupled with inadequate waste collection services.
The latter, he said, is as a result of poor coordination.
Wright lamented that Linden with a population of some 40,000 does not have a proper waste management plan/policy or adequate resources, vehicles or infrastructure.
He expressed concern that there are ‘innumerable’ illegal dumpsites, as some residents, dump their waste at any remote location.
Negative impact
With Linden being touted as a major tourism destination in Region Ten, the indiscriminate dumping of garbage is of major concern, Wright acknowledged.
“The current state of waste management and disposal is not conducive to good health or economic growth, and Linden’s tourism potential is severely limited in part, by the these unhealthy practices,” he lamented.
Participants learnt about types of waste, including hazardous waste, disposal methods, recycling and composting.
Wright in an exclusive interview, with Kaieteur News, revealed that participants were drawn from across the municipal constituencies, and that the workshop was very successful.
“They were very enthused and very glad to get the information and perspectives on waste management, and now want to be involved, in helping to address the waste management issues in Linden.”
According to Wright, some of the participants are expected to meet with the Linden Mayor and town council, to start this process.
The group is also recommending that the M&TC initiate a community compost project.
One participant shared her experience of utilizing kitchen waste to add nutrients to her vegetables.
“A lot of the stuff we throw out can actually be used in our kitchen gardens-we can make our own compost, and utilize it to nourish our plants.”
Apart from the lectures, participants were also taken on a tour of a number of dumpsites around Linden, in an effort to better highlight the magnitude of the problem.
It was underscored that a large proportion of the waste in Linden is derived from households and markets.
Therefore, management of waste within the home constitutes an important first step in waste management in the Town.
Wright is optimistic, that the workshop would serve to effect significant change, in community attitudes towards waste, and ownership of the problem.

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