THE Mayor and City Council’s (M&CC) Solid Waste Management Department has taken a decision to post three of its staff members, on a permanent basis, to the avenues in Central Georgetown to ensure these areas are litter-free.

The avenues at Main, Carmichael, Waterloo, Camp, Thomas and East Streets, will all benefit from the presence of the officers, who will each have two avenues to oversee.

“Although waste receptacles were installed in these avenues, citizens seldom use them but chose to dispose of their litter throughout the avenues, thereby creating an unsightly appearance. It is on this premise that these staff members were placed in the avenues daily to encourage passersby to use the receptacles and to clean up any litter that are found within the avenues,” Solid Waste Director, Walter Narine, told Chronicle on Sunday.

“The avenues give Georgetown a beautiful setting and one gets this romantic feeling traversing through them; therefore, we all have a role to stop littering the avenues and just enjoy the ambience that the trees create,” he added.

Although the M&CC has limited resources available to it at the moment, Narine said the decision was taken because the condition of the avenues is an urgent matter.

“It is hard with our limited resources, but it is something that is badly needed. I am appalled by how some citizens desecrate the parapets within the avenues with litter. Let’s go back to the days of sitting on the benches in the avenues to have great conversations or to read a novel or just simply relax and enjoy the atmosphere.”

Narine said it will also be helpful if corporate Guyana adopts sections of the avenue to aid in the maintenance.

As for the issue of vagrants occupying the benches, especially those under trees and in shade, he said the officers will help to remove them.
“The avenue should be free of litter and also safe for all. The constabulary will ensure that they do not return. Once there is a presence of the officers, I think that will deter them from returning too,” he said.