MINISTER of Local Government and Regional Development Norman Whittaker said Government is very close to tabling in the National Assembly the Solid Waste Management Bill.The draft bill was taken to Cabinet on February 4, for discussions, and Cabinet members offered comments with respect to two aspects of the bill and these are now being considered at the level of the Ministry of Legal Affairs and Attorney General’s Office, he told reporters yesterday at a press conference at his ministry in Kingston.

The Minister of Finance has also been asked to have a second look at the section of the bill that deals with the issue of financial arrangement.

The solid waste management bill seeks to, among other things, bring order to the way in which solid waste is managed, primarily by the way of a solid waste management authority; a legal body that will be responsible for the regulation for solid waste and its management in Guyana. The bill also provides for enforcement and penalties.