THE Mayor and City Council has established a Solid Waste Management Committee to address the concerns and matters relating to solid waste in the city.

Solid Waste Management Director, Walter Narine, said the committee has already commenced its work and is expected to present the council with a draft policy. “That policy will speak to the separation of waste, recycling, composting and having littering by-laws effects,” he told the Department of Public Information (DPI) in a recent interview.

The policy will also recommend that every household in the city pay a small fee for the collection of waste. “I would like to have a conversation with everybody in Georgetown to ask that they pay a small fee of $200 a week and that will contribute to us having money to going into the proper recycling of waste,” Narine said.

The committee is also considering having a 24-hour garbage-collection system. According to Narine, the initiative will ease congestion on the road and alleviate the stench persons experience daily. The council is working to have a schedule for the collection of waste for businesses, especially those in downtown Georgetown. He said while the businesses receive clearance from the solid waste management team, there is a not a specific time that the garbage is picked up. “We are working to have a schedule with the business people for only a particular time. We were looking at from 17:00hrs to put out your refuse and we will collect it at nights. If you put it out before 17:00hrs, you should be fined, Narine suggested.

“Everybody realises that solid waste is a challenge. And it is time for us to push this “green” economy, push this separation of waste. Push separation of waste, push composting. Let’s move from a society that we just separate and use those facets.” (DPI)