SCRAP metal dealers have been banned from operating in Georgetown.

The ban has been inflicted by the Ministry of Housing and Water following the recent discovery of the theft of 15 metal manhole covers from streets in Georgetown, a source at the Ministry said.
The ban is being supported by the members of the Guyana Metal Recyclers Association (GMRA) whose Executive Director Mr. Desmond Sears said that the legitimate dealers will not allow any situation which tarnishes the name of the industry to remain unaddressed.
He said, “A few illegal and unscrupulous dealers are responsible for this kind of vandalising and destruction of property and are so jeopardising the trade. This trade is so sensitive that we cannot afford to lapse. The GRMA fully supports the ban,” he added.
The ban affects all dealers, legal or illegal.
It was imposed by the ministry late October and legal dealers were given a month to take their operations out of the city.
Illegal traders were not granted such notice but have been warned that those who are caught face confiscation of scrap metal and prosecution.
Sears said that at the time of the ban there were about fifteen illegal scrap metal traders in Georgetown.
The legal traders in Georgetown have already begun to relocate to areas outside of Georgetown.
He urged the legal traders to continue not to purchase metals from dubious sources.
Sears disclosed that the scrap metal trade creates jobs for both skilled and unskilled workers which add up to approximately 1,200 persons.
The industry also creates space and contributes to a clean and healthy environment by getting rid of the scrap metal in an environmentally friendly manner; especially when taken in context of the Low Carbon Development Strategy which is being stoutly promoted.
He stressed, “The survival of the trade is dependent on honesty by legal dealers who must ensure that they acquire scrap metal from legitimate sources. All must know that the sanctions are not against individuals who use shortcuts, but against the trade itself.”
Information from the GMRA disclosed that the trade is alive, though there has been a reduction in containers of scrap metal leaving Guyana for international markets when compared to last year.
GMRA records show that 1522 containers of scrapped metal were shipped out of Guyana during the period January to November 2012, as against 923 for the same period this year.
Sears explained that the 39% decrease in exports could have stemmed from the relatively low price of scrap metal on the international market at the moment.

(By Clifford Stanley)