THE Georgetown Mayor and City Council will be converting compost waste to fertilizer –- an investment valued at $28M that is expected to generate approximately $87M on an annual basis. However, during the first year, it is expected to generate a minimum of $10M in revenue. The multimillion-dollar project was announced on Wednesday by the Ministry of Communities. In addition to significantly boosting the council’s revenue- generating capacity, the project, which is expected to roll out in July, will result in the reduction of wanton disposal of organic waste in the city and the expansion of the life of the sanitary landfill Haags Bosch.
Georgetown Municipality Sanitation Director, Walter Narine, who will be spearheading the project, said during the initial phase of the project, the council will target only the Stabroek and Bourda Markets.
“When we would have examined the two markets, we realised that they generate on a daily basis, 25 metric tonnes of food waste. These are perishable cash crops which were not sold and the vendors would have discarded and tossed them out,” Narine explained.
He noted that these are the types of waste that reach the landfill on a daily basis, so the intention is to take 25 tons of waste and convert it into a municipal compost.
Narine revealed that the compost would then be marketed as manure or fertilizer at a minimal cost to the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI), which is one of the primary targets, as well as to cash-crop farmers.

Guyana has been experiencing a plethora of issues in terms of entering the export market with cash crops. One of the main reasons for this is the standard requirement by international trade for crops to be free from pesticides.
“So, if we can utilise the compost, it will benefit the farmers greatly who have aspirations of doing business on the export market,” Narine posited.
In a report compiled by Habeeb Khan on the composition of waste, it was highlighted that 50 per cent of all waste generated in Georgetown was organic waste.
Given this reality, coupled with the fact that Haags Bosch has a lifespan of 15 years, Narine said that everyone stands to benefit should at least 30 per cent of that waste be diverted from the landfill.
This will also reduce operational costs, since moving organic waste to Haags Bosch stands at a monthly high of $1.2M.
Apart from the market waste, the compost will also include vegetation that grows on the road shoulders, sawdust, trimmed tree branches and weeds. As it relates to the sawdust, Narine pointed out that it creates a huge problem due to its incendiary properties.
“Because when it’s stalked [sic] up in high piles, then the heat it generates within, it can easily ignite and cause big fires at the landfill. So, we can take the sawdust, also the waste that pigs produce; this is highly fertile and it is dumped everyday, so we will use the cow, pig and horse manure and create a true collective of the organics,” the sanitation director said.
The raw material will be processed daily in a fenced area by municipal employees at the Princes Street facility.
The project, in its initial phase, should provide employment for 25 persons from nearby communities to operate and manage the compost.
“We are very excited to have this project come to fruition. We have bins already at the markets, so vendors will dispose of their waste there and then[and] we will have them transported to the site.
“So, the compost is a six-week cycle. Seventy metric tonnes of material will generate two cycles per year [and] the global market is US$6 per pound. It will generate a significant amount of well-needed revenue for the council. We’re the only country that throws away everything,” he added.
Georgetown Mayor, Patricia Chase-Green, in endorsing the project, said it falls in line with government’s green agenda and the push towards a green economy.

“We are ensuring that in keeping with the President’s vision, we are doing everything possible in promoting the proper collection and disposal of garbage. Also, in keeping with the council’s own vision for a cleaner and greener city, we want to move in the direction of waste-separation and recycling,” the city Mayor stated.
She outlined that the Mayor and City Council is willing to provide support and guidance to householders and businesses which are interested in proper waste management.
“We will be willing to assist and advise them. There is already one business that has ventured into recycling of cardboards and we encourage other businesses to get on board. It would take some time to adapt to changes, but with the right direction, we will eventually get accustomed to it,” Chase-Green said.
The groundwork for the project will commence after the council’s 2017 budget is read and with the requisite approval from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).