AS a child, I often heard my grandparents reference how, decades ago, many communities were kept clean by community members and villagers. They always emphasised that the people were seldom wealthy but always took pride in property ownership. They took good care of their belongings and the environment around them. As I listen to their remarks about the past, I ponder our present dilemma of constant public littering and poor waste management across Guyana’s capital city, towns, and villages. Where did we go wrong? What happened between these time periods that vastly changed our society’s view on cleanliness and environmental protection?

I often see people post pictures and videos of certain venues after a public gathering. While I do applaud the efforts of certain organisers to clean the venues after the events, the question still remains: why do people litter in the first place? I can recall from my childhood that garbage sites filled the edges of my town. The irony surrounding these sites was that there was always a clear “No Dumping of Garbage” sign at almost every one of them. Yet, people still dumped their garbage there—why? Fortunately, as the years pass, my town has become increasingly aware of waste management. However, this is not the case for many other towns and villages in Guyana.

It is common practice for some communities to dispose of their garbage and waste in waterways, drainage systems, empty lots, and abandoned sites. Little children might grow up seeing their parents practise these methods of waste disposal and then try to imitate them. This behavioural trait is what normalises littering in our communities. While it is our individual responsibility to ensure our environment is clean, it is also the responsibility of the authorities to ensure there are measures in place to match our individual efforts. Community members might be willing to dispose of their garbage correctly, but are there enough bins to do so? Are the bins in public spaces and at events emptied regularly? What about law enforcement? Are the penalties for littering enforced daily, and if so, how strictly is this enforcement carried out? I think you must know the answers to these rhetorical questions by now. As such, it is important that there is consistency in waste management at all levels in Guyana.

I also urge everyone to initiate educational talks and discussions in public spaces about the importance of maintaining a clean and safe environment. We can start by continuously educating our young ones in schools while also practically enforcing good waste management practices in their learning environments. This is a serious habit that needs serious addressing because it affects our beaches, the quality of our air and water, and our biodiversity. When a piece of trash, especially plastic, is disposed of incorrectly—it often ends up in our local drainage systems, which ultimately lead to the ocean. This is unfair to the animals and plants around us because human beings often have an innate selfish tendency to think that we alone inhabit this planet. I would like to remind everyone that our actions today have significant implications for the overall health of our climate.

It might be embedded into some aspects of Guyanese culture to litter and “throw away” garbage anytime, anywhere. However, that needs to change. We can take patterns from the Japanese. Most people in Japan have developed a habit of taking their garbage in their bags with them until they’re home. In Singapore, as well, there are very large fines for littering that are often enforced, which deter people from doing it.

I would say that littering is not necessarily a cultural trait or phenomenon in Guyana. However, it is the result of many underlying factors such as poor enforcement of laws, inadequate infrastructure, and little to no education on breaking away from such a habit. To combat this, a shift in public attitude and perception is required. Many countries across the world are faced with the same dilemma. However, in those that have improved, results show that it requires a collective effort and commitment between authorities and citizens. It should be portrayed as a shared national vision and value—where we all collectively commit towards a cleaner Guyana for ourselves and future generations to come.