AS denizens of a tropical country, Guyanese would be hard pressed to dream about a white Christmas. Notwithstanding this consideration, the Georgetown Solid Waste Management Project (GSWMP) and its stakeholders would like city residents to dream about a “green Christmas” ; that is to say, an environmentally friendly Christmas, and then make those dreams come true.The Government of Guyana received a loan of US$18.07 million from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to implement the GSWMP.

The general objective of the GSWMP is to contribute to an improved quality of life for the Georgetown population and the 15 participating Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) in Region 4 (Demerara/Mahaica).

The specific purpose of the programme is to implement sustainable solutions to solid waste management for the Georgetown municipality and those participating NDCs.

The GSWMP project is being managed by the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development (MGLRD).
A non-green Christmas fact is that the amount of waste generated during the holidays increases by about 60%. Within the context of the current problems being encountered in solid waste management and disposal, there are many ways Guyanese and city residents can enjoy the holidays and yet reduce the adverse impact on the environment as it relates to the disposal of rubbish.

According to Guyenterprise advertising agency, the public relations arm of the GSWMP, the following, which are some advice worth repeating, stress each citizen’s role in the programme.

Solid Waste Management (SWM), it has been stressed, is not a clean-up campaign. It is a disposal strategy used by progressive communities to sort, recycle, convert and dispose of garbage they generate. It is collective and holistic behaviour that leads to less disposable garbage and healthier environments for all.

The public is urged to support, encourage and promote solid waste reduction, because the success of the GSWMP programme depends on the voluntary support of the public. Strong cooperation from the public enhances the flow of information. The public is expected, for example, to be alert to incidents of environmental abuse. Should a member of the public see a truck dumping garbage illegally into a ditch beside the road, that member is strongly advised to record that vehicle’s
licence plate number and report same to the Mayor & City Council.

Much has been said, over the past two weeks in the Green Corner Feature, about environmentally friendly solid waste disposal.

Regarding other basics for the holidays, the GSWMP urges that you avoid littering and dumping of solid waste; and embrace the three Rs, namely: REDUCE the use of plastics, REUSE plastic bags for as many times as possible before discarding them; and RECYCLE.

As city persons in a tropical environment, you may not be able to realistically dream about “a white Christmas”; but you can dream about “a green Christmas”, a solid waste management-environmentally friendly Christmas; and you can wake up and do something about your dreams.
Written By Clifford Stanley