Guyanese shoppers can now make a significant positive impact on improving their environment when they shop. Under the Clean Green Guyana Campaign, being administered by the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development and funded by the Inter-American Development Bank, shoppers at major supermarkets may receive an attractive and sturdy re-usable bag in which to place their groceries and other purchases instead of putting these in plastic bags that harm our environment. Research shows that a significant proportion of waste generated in Region 4 and in Guyana, on the whole, is comprised of non-reusable, single-use products, including plastic bags, plastic bottles, and Styrofoam containers. Such non-reusable waste constitutes approximately 10% of the waste from Guyanese households, the largest proportion after biodegradable or organic waste that makes up about 50% of household waste. These non-reusable plastic items are devastating to the environment and are stressful to the solid waste management system both because of their volume and the fact they photodegrade, breaking down into smaller, more toxic petro-polymers which eventually contaminate soils and waterways.
Disposable plastic bags are especially visible and dangerous threats to the environment that frequently appear in the litter of many Region 4 communities. Supermarkets and other enterprises distribute these freely to customers who have come to expect being provided with plastic bags when they shop. However, by using a re-usable bag such as the ones being distributed under this initiative, shoppers may help mitigate the serious environmental threat that plastic bags pose. In fact, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) estimates that using a reusable bag can save the use of 6 plastic bags a week or 288 bags a year.
The re-usable bags are currently being distributed at all branches of Bounty, DSL and Survival supermarkets. Shoppers that receive a bag are encouraged to bring this bag with them whenever they shop to place their purchases in rather than in plastic bags. Besides making a very important contribution towards a clean and green Guyana, shoppers also earn a chance to win a hamper in the month of January every time they use their re-usable bag.
The Ministry of Local Government, through the Clean Green Guyana Campaign encourages all Guyanese to play their part in making our environment clean and green by using a re-usable bag instead of plastic ones when shopping. Supermarkets that would like to be part of this initiative are welcome to call Guyenterprise to discuss this.