Gov’t exploring new landfill sites to tackle garbage crisis

The government is exploring lands across Guyana to develop sanitary landfill sites as part of a wider effort to address the country’s long-standing issue of garbage disposal.

Minister of Public Works Bishop Juan Edghill said waste management and environmental care are key priorities for the administration, with a focus on ensuring citizens benefit from a cleaner and more sustainable environment.

“Sanitary landfill facility has to be developed, and we have lands that are open for us to dump and get our waste managed in a strategic and environmentally friendly manner,” he said.

To support this, the minister noted that new infrastructure will be required to allow heavy-duty garbage trucks to access landfill sites. Roads and supporting facilities will have to be built or upgraded nationwide.

President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali has established a special cabinet-level team to drive the initiative, comprising the Ministries of Public Works, Housing, Local Government and Regional Development, and the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce.

“We have to explore, in all of the regions where we can identify spots for enhancement work to provide safe recreation for people in the communities, and then we also have to find available lands to deal with the issue that has been troubling us for years,” the minister said.

He said the government is also considering designated spaces for parking heavy-duty trucks and relocating noisy industrial activities, such as spray-painting body shops, out of residential neighbourhoods.

“We don’t want to shut down economic activity,” the minister said, stressing that the President’s policies are aimed at expanding, not restricting, business opportunities.

Minister Edghill said available lands could be rehabilitated or developed further inland to support modern landfill operations, while open spaces, seawall reserves and community areas could benefit from enhancement works.