– says Solid Waste Director

THE build-up of garbage in Georgetown following the 2022 Christmas season is expected to be remedied by the end of this week, as garbage collection is on schedule, says Solid Waste Director Walter Narine.

In an interview with the Guyana Chronicle, Narine said his department has been working to ensure that excess garbage, which usually accumulates during the Christmas season, is cleared.

He said, “Since we are in the second week of the new year, it will start to taper off at the end of this week. You wouldn’t see that amount of garbage bins and stuff like that on the road.”

He explained that seeing excess garbage after the holiday season has been the expectation for quite some time as many persons make additional purchases during the season, thus adding to the usual amount.

Narine added that during the regular period, contractors would make around two trips to the landfill, but with the excess, they are now forced to make around four or five trips.

Additionally, with the current rainy season, he noted that it does not make the task easier to move to and from the landfill site and as such, there are delays.

“So we recognize it, and I do apologize to the general public for the state that it is in, it is nothing new. What we need to do going forward though because we can’t just have it as is, we need to plan better and we need to have bigger waste receptacles placed strategically,” the Solid Waste Director said.

According to Narine, for 2023 onward, there will be better planning, even as he mentioned that they are in the process of repairing 12 large receptacles with the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development’s financial assistance.

These receptacles, he said, will soon be placed around the city to cater for these types of situations.

Meanwhile, he reiterated that at the end of this week, the situation will return to normalcy as garbage collection for most parts of Georgetown is on schedule.