THE Mayor and City Council (M&CC) of Georgetown is in full support of the ban on single-use plastics and has begun efforts to spread awareness of its adverse effects.

Speaking at a children’s concert held at the Stabroek Square on Saturday, M&CC Public Relations Officer, Debra Lewis, told Guyana Chronicle that the Council will be engaging in awareness sessions to disseminate information on the effects of plastics on the environment.

The concert was organised to educate children and the wider public in this regard.

“The children are here to showcase their talents in the arts, but the focus is to disseminate the environmental message of eliminating single-use plastics from the environment.”

For the Council, it is equally important to involve children in the discourse on good environmental practices, and as such, children from across several primary schools in Georgetown participated in the forum. They were allowed to share their own messages through poems, songs and dances.

World Environment Day was observed recently under the theme: “Beat Plastic Pollution: If you can’t reuse it, refuse it”. The occasion sought to raise awareness on the detrimental effects the versatile material has on the biosphere. Single-use plastics are those common everyday plastic beverage bottles, bags, straws and alike that are disposed of after only being used once.

Earlier this year, Minister of State Joseph Harmon posited that steps had been initiated to address the scourge of plastic pollution impacting the environment.

“We want to encourage all Guyanese to support the ban on single-use plastics because it’s harming the environment and if we support this initiative, the environment and [its people] will be better off,” Harmon said.