EPA set to target litterbugs in central Georgetown

The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Litter Enforcement Unit will clamp down on the commercial zone of central Georgetown, for the next two weeks.

A release from the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment issued through the Government Information Agency (GINA) stated that wardens from the unit will be monitoring the area from Church Street to Lombard Street, to ensure that members of the public comply with the litter regulations and keep the heavily traversed commercial zone free of litter.

The release added that the unit believes that focus on single areas will prove to be more effective, rather than spreading resources across the city.

Meanwhile, the release said, with assistance from the City Engineers’ Department and the Georgetown Solid Waste Management Department, works have already commenced, with sanitation workers clearing garbage from the canal, next to the Non Aligned Monument on Church Street on March 11.

“Persons using this area are reminded that litter not only makes the city look like an open dumping ground, but prolongs flooding, provides a breeding ground for disease carrying pests, and creates numerous other social, environmental, and economic problems, the cost of which is felt by all,” the release said.

The ministry’s release pointed out that while the majority of officers from the unit will be in the area, the Roving Response Team will continue to investigate complaints and patrol areas outside of the commercial district. To report cases of illegal dumping, citizens can contact the Litter Unit on 600-0620, 225-5471-2, e-mail greenguyana@gmail.com, or send a message to the Unit’s Facebook page Anti-Litter Guyana.