Waste Management imperative for a Green Economy
– plans to be developed for the capital and towns
– Haags Bosch landfill a priority for 2020
-alternative landfill sites being developed for Esplanade, Byderabo
DPI, Guyana, Tuesday, January 14, 2020
Waste management is set to be a major undertaking for the Ministry of Communities this year as Guyana pursues a green development path.
Head of the Sanitation Management Unit Gordon Gilkes noted that waste management and disposal were critical factors in achieving and maintaining a green community and economy.
He was at the time addressing the ministry’s two-day senior staff conference which opened on Tuesday.
Gordon Gilkes, Head, Sanitation Management Unit, Ministry of Communities
Gilkes said his unit was looking at crafting a waste management plan for Georgetown and the other towns. The idea, he said, was to have each town more involved in managing its waste.
“I think that’s important in terms of aligning the programme with the Green State Development Strategy … which talks about having environmental issues dealt with. [B]ringing those landfill sites under proper management will help to eliminate the environmental degradation that may exist,” Gilkes said.
He added that a major issue the Unit encountered last year was meeting the EPA’s criteria for landfill and dumpsites. A list of all the dump and landfill sites was created and will be used to determine which would be closed or upgraded to the EPA standards.
The sites at Esplanade in New Amsterdam, Berbice, and Byderabo, in Cuyuni-Mazaruni, are already scheduled for closure.
“There’s a pressing issue to close the Esplanade because the synthetic track is adjacent to the Esplanade site. We also have the Byderabo site, which initially would have developed into swamp area and over time residents would have built their houses close to the site, so it’s pressing on us now to close that site,” Gilkes explained.
He added that they have found alternative sites for both areas but they need to be fully developed before the transition could be done.
Priority areas for 2020 also include continuing works on six existing sites, including the Haags Bosch facility.