More than twenty-seven persons arrested, one person sentenced for littering — Solid Waste Director

May 23, 2023 News

Kaieteur News – In January alone, more than 27 persons were arrested, one of whom was charged for littering in the city.

Director of Solid Waste Management at the City Council, Walter Narine

Director of Solid Waste Management at the Georgetown Mayor and City Council, Walter Narine revealed on Saturday during a cleanup exercise in keeping with the vision to transform the capital city into a scenic tourism destination, as well as to improve the sanitary and environmental conditions countrywide.

Narine said that the Solid Waste Management Department of the Georgetown council is working with the police to clamp down on persons caught littering. “We have a police unit coming out here every day to arrest persons. Not only that, but you also have a lot of business people paying homeless people to dispose of their garbage. And as you know, that is a way of earning a living from them, so they just dispose of it anywhere,” Narine explained.

He noted that the campaign is a continuous exercise that the council wants civil society to be a part of.  “If you see somebody littering, you have to report it. We have our numbers out. Just call us, and we will ensure that they are arrested. We have to cut out this scourge in society, and we all have to be patriotic about where we’re living, and we have to become cognisant of the environment we live in,” he urged.

The Director also addressed the issue of litter being thrown from public and private transportation, pointing out that when such an offence is committed, both the driver and offender are arrested. And if the offender cannot be identified, the driver is arrested. As such, he urged drivers to ensure that their vehicles are equipped with receptacles to prevent passengers from littering.

Further, Narine stated that the department is looking to collaborate with the Ministry of Education, to conduct educational sessions in schools to emphasise the need for persons to refrain from littering, and educate children on the laws and penalties surrounding the offence.

He urged community leaders to also ensure that they correctly dispose of their waste and take responsibility for the appearance of their surroundings.

“We are proud Guyanese, and we need to care for our environment. We tend to blame everyone else, but as community leaders and community representatives, we can come out once a week, or once a month to clean up our environment. And I think if we start from the community level, these exercises will move on to more meaningful enhancement projects,” Narine stressed. (Modified from DPI)

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