Put waste in the right place!
─ Guyana Wildlife Conservation facilitates massive clean-up along Kingston seawall
– Mayor calls for everyone to be ambassador to keep the city clean
DPI, Guyana, Sunday, March 3, 2019
In observance of World Wildlife Day, the Guyana Wildlife Conservation early this morning facilitated a massive clean-up along the Kingston seawall.
The theme for this year’s observance is ‘Life below water for people and planet’. World Wildlife Day is observed every year on March 3.
The clean-up exercise received the support of several organisations which included the Mayor and City Council (M&CC), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Conservation International (CI), Youth Action Network (YAN), Protected Areas Commission (PAC), several religious organisations and Puran Brothers Disposal Incorporated.
Communications Officer of Guyana Wildlife Conservation, Deuel Hughes said the clean-up was organised to raise awareness of effects of improper garbage disposal on the marine environment. He noted that the marine environment provides us with many benefits including providing a livelihood, protecting our eco-system and assisting with climate change.
“While there are some human actions that threaten the marine environment and the species within, there are some actions that we can take to reverse that negative trend and that can be done by having a clean-up and promoting proper garbage disposal. So, today we are conducting this clean-up so that persons can see the impact littering has on the environment” he stated.
Commending the initiative taken by Guyana Wildlife Conservation was Mayor of Georgetown, Pandit Ubraj Narine who was integral in the clean-up effort. The city Mayor noted that all citizens have a responsibility to keep the city clean and spoke of a major challenge the city is facing.
“We cleared a lot of areas of garbage; but returning to the locations randomly, we found garbage has once again piled up. So, when we have to repeat this process, it means we cannot focus on other projects in the city. I would be happy if all of us can be ambassadors; when we see someone dispose of garbage improperly, correct them because we need to invest in other projects in Georgetown” the Mayor underscored.
The clean-up exercise was carried out from the Kingston Seawall Bandstand to Camp Street. The M&CC provided garbage trucks for the proper disposal of the gathered waste, while Puran Brothers Disposal Incorporated, placed one of their skip bins around the bandstand area so that persons can properly dispose of their waste when visiting the seawall.
This initiative aims to ensure, UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 13 – that calls for action to combat climate change and its impacts – is achieved.
Isaiah Braithwaite
Images: Jules Gibson