THE Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development in collaboration with Guyenterprise yesterday hosted a corporate workshop to educate various stakeholders regarding their roles in solid waste management.
This initiative serves as part of the ministry’s public awareness and community participation component in the Georgetown Solid Waste Management Programme (GSWMP).The workshop was held at the Georgetown Club, Camp Street, Georgetown and was geared to get stakeholders to address plans for their involvement in such an initiative, as well as to discuss and share ideas on the issue of solid waste management.
There were presentations on the GSWMP, community participation and public awareness and various stakeholders also made presentations.
The GSWMP was launched in February 2007 to the tune of US$18,070,000, following an agreement with the Ministry of Local Government and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) with the goal of putting initiatives and mechanisms in place to enhance and modernise the way in which Guyana deals with solid waste management.
Speaking at the event, Oliver Insanally, representative of Guyenterprise noted that the community participation and public awareness component was designed to educate the public on their roles in solid waste management, through various means. The session entailed very detailed discussions on SWM and possible solutions.

COMPOSITING FACILITIES
President of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Clinton Urling, suggested that composting facilities be established at the landfill site. This, he explained, will help to create natural fertiliser that can be made from waste products on a large scale and can be retailed to the private sector, thus making available another source of revenue.
Urling also suggested that a central coordinating agency be set up to host meetings and discussions between representatives of the stakeholder groups on matters regarding SWM.
And representative of Bounty Farm Ltd, Mr. David Fernandes in his presentation noted that while the discussions are merely the first stage in the initiative, the work actually begins when stakeholders and governmental bodies become involved.

‘ECO PAKS’
Meanwhile, Ms. Pat Bacchus, Chief Operating Officer of Caribbean Container Inc., (CCI) emphasised that the entity has been manufacturing environmentally friendly products for many years in the form of corrugated boards and ‘eco paks’ (biodegradable food packaging). She also indicated that the company is offering to buy cardboard for recycling from local businesses.
Another point that was explored at this workshop was the possibility of strategically placing large containers around the city to aid in the disposal of garbage. They also discussed having the collection trucks pick up the garbage on a more regular basis, especially since it’s the festive season of Christmas.