I AM so incensed that people, in this day and age are thinking of banning the use of styrofoam (products) in Guyana. Guyanese (I am not concerned with Americans and Haitians) have a problem. Here it is normal to do whatever we want and whereever too. Then when problems arise, we are so quick to ‘pass the buck.’ In Guyana, there is a prevailing lack of care and concern. It is so easy and simple to urinate, litter, dump garbage, and dump toxic wastes etc. in just about anyplace. These kinds of activities show that the problem is ingrained. I see people all the time doing the most bizarre things-dead animals are tolerated on the roads, messy diapers are found strewn in the immediate environment, changing car oil is done in the yard (then dumping the waste oil in the drain etc. The culture is just bad. This is where the problem is.
Dear Editor, as for the issue of clogging, there is a big noise only because the problem is noticeable, and this is during the rainy seasons. What is then noticed are the bottles, old pieces of iron, styrofoam utensils, clumped up garbage etc. and ad infinitum. So I cannot see the connection between clogging and styrofoam products. Before the present, there was clogging, along with flooding. The point is that addressing symptoms is not going to help. In Guyana, people are not, or they do not want to be environmentally informed. Even those who are knowledgeable abuse their space by dumping all their waste products in the wrong way and place.
I mean the computer is great. It is a necessary asset. However, if I just live on Facebook, I am at fault-not the equipment. So I might hear that the OLPF (One Laptop Per Family) is being picketed against-too many people are wasting time. See how ludicrous people can be at times!
The next annoying factor has to do with all these suppositions, hearsayings and research etc. The two incidents (styrofoam and clogging) are totally unrelated. It is the same (at least thus far) with trying to link styrene exposure to an increased risk of leukaemia and lymphoma. There is only a possible association here. Styrofoam is not classified as a carcinogen, even though it does contain damaging chemicals. However, cell phones do, and there is the idea that cell phones can affect sterility. So let us ban that too. What you say here? I would not even comment on cigarettes.
So far, the experience with the use of plastic bags and styrofoam products has been quite bad in a number of places. This venture into its use has so far created a huge littering and garbage disposal problem, and Guyana may get a first for this. Mind you, there is no health problem with the usage, but an environmental one, and this goes directly to a situation of people and garbage disposal. Last Easter, ‘busted’ bottles littered the Seawall-what became of it? Nothing! So should bottles be banned?
People in Guyana have to mature, that is, they have to be growing and modifying themselves and their behaviour, for the inevitable changes of today’s world. Guyanese must learn to clean their surroundings. If this can be achieved, Georgetown will be better, the country will be too, and in fact, living in Guyana would be so lovely and healthy. I ask here, how come these same Guyanese drive properly, dispose of waste in the approved manner etc in their adopted countries, namely the United States and Canada.