‘Clean up or face charges’ – Min Manickchand warns

The Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development is warning that if Guyanese do not take personal responsibility for keeping their environment and country clean, the government will be forced to pursue stricter enforcement measures against offenders.

Minister Priya Manickchand issued the warning on Wednesday following the handover of garbage compactor trucks to 10 of the 17 Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) in Region Four, five for the East Coast and the remainder for the East Bank of Demerara.

“We all have to take responsibility not to drop our private garbage, the chewing gum, paper and the corn curls wrapper, our household garbage, our school’s garbage, or bulky waste on the road,” she stressed. “We all have to decide we want to clean a country.”

Minister Manickchand said the ministry will shortly roll out a public relations campaign to reinforce the message, but made clear that voluntary compliance is not the only option on the table.

“If we can’t do that on our own, then we’re going to have to force compliance,” she added.

The government is in talks with the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) about enforcement actions. The minister mentioned that municipal and magistrates’ courts are ready to handle charges.

Among the measures being considered are charging individuals for the indiscriminate and unlawful disposal of solid waste, cleaning and maintaining drains and parapets blocked by bulky waste, appointing wardens nationwide who can file charges, and working with prosecutors to bring these matters before the courts.

The local government minister said the preferred route remains education, including working with schools to build a new generation of environmentally conscious Guyanese.

“We’d like to do this the soft way,” she said. “But in the meantime, stop dropping your garbage all over the place. Use bins, put it in your bag, carry it home, don’t throw your bulky waste out. Remove your solid waste responsibly.”

Guyanese who litter can be fined and prosecuted under the Environmental Protection (Litter Enforcement) Regulations 2013. Fines vary depending on whether the offender is an individual or a company.

An individual found littering in a public place can be fined $50,000, while a company found littering can be fined $100,000.