Garbage and our Garden City image
Editorial
Guyana Chronicle
January 13, 2004
NOT only in Georgetown, but also in almost every area of Guyana, rubbish abounds. People throw everything from old shoes, food containers, fruit skins to all things no longer useful into trenches, parks, roadways, in front of stores, houses, public buildings and elsewhere.
It has become a blight on our fair land.
Guyana, once such a beautiful country, with what was once the Garden City of Georgetown, with pristine canals and parapets, is now a horror of garbage, strewn helter-skelter.
What was later only limited to the city has spread through our populated areas. Communities which once kept their villages clean and neat now have rubbish scattered throughout. Even community centers and schoolyards harbour garbage.
It was a peasant surprise, on the day after the post-Christmas "lime" in Georgetown, to see Main Street, the area of the "lime," clean, with all rubbish removed before the next day began. Those responsible for the "lime" must be congratulated for fulfilling their civic duties.
Also, we should recognize the good work of those diligent citizens who from time to time clear the rubbish from our beautiful seawall. We know how they must feel when they see the rubbish back again, almost as soon as their work is finished.
There should be a concerted way of solving this problem. Guyanese need to be reminded over and over again of their responsibilities in disposing of rubbish - from a simple banana skin to a cigarette package. Nothing, not a single thing, should be thrown in the street, or alleyway, or trench or what have you.
Children have to be trained in school and at home not to throw anything in the streets or in the schoolyard or anywhere at all. Part of our school education must embrace this concept.
Communities will have to provide more garbage containers as well as regular garbage removal. Posters reminding citizens of their responsibilities should be placed all over. The system of fines should be enforced for those caught in the act.
A start could be made with a call to civic-minded Guyanese to form work units to clean up Georgetown, as a start. The same can be repeated throughout Guyana with a well thought-out programme to maintain the cleanliness.
The garbage pile-up is robbing us of our Garden City image. So it's time this problem is tackled in an orderly, well-planned manner.