IMMEDIATELY after the Mashramani Costume and Float Parade came to an end, the Georgetown Mayor and City Council deployed approximately 50 sanitation workers to clean the city – an exercise that costs approximately $2M.

The Mashramani Costume and Float Parade, as customary, was held on Republic Day (February 23). The parade commenced at the junction of Camp and Lamaha, and proceeded along Camp Street onto CARIFESTA Avenue, then onto Vlissengen Road before culminating at Durban Park.

This year’s Mashramani saw an increase in the amount of waste produced. However, it also saw a better culture of garbage disposal by patrons, according to the City Director of Solid Waste Management, Walter Narine.

Narine explained that this year the Mayor and City Council (MCC) placed six garbage receptacles along the parade route and distributed approximately 2,000 garbage bags, and all were utilized. He said this was an improvement from the previous year, when more than double that amount of garbage receptacles were placed along the route, and none was used.

“I saw an increase in garbage but I also saw a change in behaviour which I am very, very happy about. We would’ve put out 15 bins last year and none was used, so we were cautious this year and put out six and I am very happy that they were used. It says they’re willing to change. So it encourages me that next year we plan better and have far more receptacles,” Narine said as he supervised cleanup activities along Irving Street on Monday.
Narine estimated that cleaning of the entire area would have been completed for midafternoon. Meals were provided for the sanitation workers who would be paid separately for the cleanup exercise.

The City’s cleanup exercise was conducted in two phases, with the first phase taking place on Sunday, immediately after the parade, and the second phase beginning from 04:30hrs on Monday.

On Sunday, the sanitation workers followed behind the last float of the parade cleaning from the parade assembly point at Camp and Lamaha, and followed the route north on Camp Street, east on Carifesta Avenue and south on Irving Street and Vlissengen Road up to Thomas Lands.

On Monday, the cleanup focused on the latter half of the route beginning from Durban Park and Square of the Revolution, and moving north along Irving Street and Vlissengen Road up to Thomas Lands. Narine noted that the cleaners would also have to go up Homestretch Avenue to the National Cultural Centre, as some activities took place along that area and garbage was littered along that street as well.

“We would’ve noticed an increase in garbage this year compared to last year but that was because it’s the 50th anniversary and it was a bit more festive this year. We have it under control but we want to impress upon citizens not to litter and use the receptacles that they have,” Narine said.

Some drivers stopped to commend the cleanup team as they passed. Mayor of Georgetown Ubraj Narine was also out on Monday assisting workers in the cleanup exercise.

The exercise represented a vast improvement by the municipality as compared to previous years when garbage from the activity could still be seen along the side of the roadway days after the activity ended.

The Mayor said he was satisfied with the approach the municipality had been taking to restore the City after these major events.

“The employees are out with one goal and that is to ensure by a certain time, if one passes along this route there must be no evidence that we held such an enormous event yesterday,” Mayor Narine told the Department of Public Information (DPI) as he raked a plastic bottle from the nearby trench.

According to the Mayor, over the years the council has adopted an “instant clean-up approach” after the annual Mashramani Costume and Float Parade. “This is a measure that we will continue to implement,” he added.
Though satisfied with how the cleanup went this year, Walter noted that there was still room for improvement.

“I’ve picked up some things that we could’ve changed if we had planned a little better,” Narine said.