LAST Thursday, the world celebrated World Environment Day under the theme, ‘Beat Plastic Pollution’.

In Guyana, our once fair ‘Garden City’ of Georgetown is not only being overrun by plastic – mainly bottles and bags – but by every form of waste in every possible location.

Guyanese still seem blissfully unaware of how our environment is being damaged when we litter our streets, parapets and drains with plastic in all forms – the major ‘ culprit being water and soda (aerated drink) bottles.

They pile up along sidewalks, around the markets and choke our drains and canals. And along with plastic bags, they have augmented the problem of garbage disposal around the country and add to the unsightly appearance of our city.

Each day as we shop at our markets, supermarkets and other places of business, our goods are put in plastic bags.

Generally, we take these home with us and dispose of them there. Many of us actually use them as garbage bags, especially for kitchen waste.

However, we are also guilty of littering our streets and other public places with beverage bottles and a variety of wrappers from sweets and packaged snacks. Then we blame the City Council for not clearing it all up.

But we as citizens have to do much better with our waste disposal and primarily we must stop littering – ‘ the act of discarding waste improperly, such as throwing it in the ground…’ Not only does this create a health hazard, but it also spoils the beauty of our surroundings.

According to the United Nations, “Plastic production has risen exponentially in the last decades…More than 400 million tonnes of plastic is produced every year worldwide, half of which is designed to be used only once. Of this less than 10 percent is recycled.”

More alarming is that plastic also finds its way into our bodies in the form of micro plastics. These are tiny particles of plastic which can end up in our food and water.

Research has indicated that each person on the planet consumes more than 50,000 plastic particles per year, and much more than this if inhalation is considered.

The UN says, “Discarded or burnt used plastic harms human health and biodiversity and pollutes every ecosystem from mountaintops to the ocean floor.”

It is a massive problem and governments, companies and other stakeholders are being urged to use available science to tackle it.

As inhabitants of this planet and the only creatures responsible for pollution, we have a duty to protect and preserve our environment. And in Guyana, where littering is commonplace, we need to desist from this practice and either find a receptacle for our garbage or take it home and dispose of it there. It is not enough to declare that there are insufficient garbage receptacles in public places.

And local authorities also need to do a better job of waste disposal and collection. More garbage bins should be placed in areas with heavy pedestrian traffic, so that people can dispose of their waste there.

For as the UN warns, “If the climate crisis goes unaddressed, with plastic pollution as a major driver, our pollution level exceeding safe thresholds could rise by 50 percent within a decade.”

And I say: “Plastic, plastic everywhere,

All around us and even in the air,

Getting into our bodies through

our food and water supply,

And becoming worse as the

days go by.

It is a problem we must solve

before it’s too late,

And destruction of the

environment is our fate!”

DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Guyana National Newspapers Limited.