Govt. still searching for solutions to single-use plastic problem

Sep 21, 2026 News

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(Kaieteur News) Local Government and Regional Development Minister Priya Manickchand said Guyana is actively examining alternatives to handle plastic waste, as the government continues to search for a viable, long-term solution to a single-use plastic problem.

Speaking on The Guyana Dialogue, Manickchand detailed the central dilemma facing policymakers: while single-use plastics continue to clog municipal waterways and burden local infrastructure, central government and regulatory agencies remain stalled on how best to transition away from disposable materials without triggering severe economic side effects or unrealistic recycling demands.

Addressing queries regarding local recycling options for bottles and cans, Manickchand explained that government assessments keep running into the reality of Guyana’s small market scale. “A lot of the language I’m hearing from recycling providers is that our volume is so small that for it to be profitable for them, we’d have to be producing… a lot more plastic waste, which is not something necessarily we want to do,” Manickchand said.

She noted that even a modest processing facility operating locally would exhaust the country’s monthly plastic waste output in a single day. “People don’t find that to be profitable. So we have to find other ways,” the Minister admitted, pointing to potential measures such as import policy adjustments or an outright ban, while cautioning that “all those things have a cost” and cannot simply be imposed without a workable framework in place.

While the central government searches for macro-level answers, local authorities in Georgetown have been absorbing the daily consequences of an unresolved policy for years. Walter Narine, Head of the Solid Waste Department at the Mayor and City Council (M&CC), reported to Kaieteur News back in 2022 that single-use plastics, such as shopping bags, straws, and disposable food containers, have created an ongoing municipal crisis that echoes the capital’s historic challenges with Styrofoam.

Plastics currently make up approximately 6.7 percent of the garbage retrieved daily from the city’s drains, canals, and road corners, clogging drainage infrastructure and heightening flood risks. “This is a major problem because plastic is not expensive and everyone uses and disposes it as they wish,” Narine noted, adding that clearing garbage piles and clogged waterways costs the Council nearly $18 million every month.

Narine noted that while an effective ban on single-use items could dramatically reduce municipal operational expenses, city authorities cannot act alone. He stressed that a lasting remedy requires central government leadership, political will, and unified execution among the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), municipal councils, and the public.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had originally set 2021 as a target year to begin a systematic phase-out of single-use plastics, conducting consultations with business groups, tourism operators, and private importers. However, the proposed timeline was repeatedly pushed back as officials recognized the broader economic implications.

EPA Executive Director Khemraj Parsram had reportedly told sections of the media that regulators had to step back and re-evaluate their roadmap, drawing on lessons learned from the 2015 Styrofoam ban, where a lack of locally available, affordable alternatives caused widespread disruption.

“There was talk about the ban, but we are saying you know what, we just cannot jump to a ban,” Parsram stated, explaining that the government is expanding its search beyond prohibition to focus on comprehensive pollution management and targeted anti-litter enforcement.

“We are now really looking at our strategy… once we identify places where we want to address the problem, I do not think we necessarily have to go to a ban, but that can be part and parcel of the long-term strategy.”

As part of the search for alternative avenues, the EPA has explored fiscal mechanisms alongside the Ministry of Finance and the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA). Among the options under consideration are duty-free incentives for businesses that import or manufacture biodegradable substitutes.

With international studies pointing to the environmental hazards of plastic, including chemical leaching, microplastic contamination in marine food chains, and greenhouse gas emissions from polymer production, pressure remains on decision-makers to deliver a cohesive plan.

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• govt, plastic waste, solutions

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