No garbage pick up for residents who refuse to pierce holes in their bins

-After first warning- Walter Narine

Though the act of being in possession of a garbage bin is commendable, Solid Waste Director of the Georgetown Municipality, Walter Narine said there are some citizens who refuse or fail to pierce holes at the bottom of their bins.

Narine said over time the council has appealed to residents to do so but still some of them have not yet complied.

As a direct consequence of their actions, the council will instruct the garbage collectors to simply not dispose of their garbage.

“The reason why the bins must be fitted with holes is that we in Guyana we have mixed waste, we haven’t move to separation of waste as yet. So when we put our food waste with the garbage they start to decompose within a three hour because of heat and other factors and it will give out a liquid which is called leachate. That mix with your garbage can be very toxic,” he explained in a video message posted on the M&CC Facebook page.

He says residents who fail to do their part cause undue burden on the sanitation workers.

“It’s strenuous on an operator to pick up because of the accumulation of the water and two when they do pick it up and place the garbage in the hopper of the garbage truck then you have spillage because it’s water, something you have leachate spill on their faces, on their clothing on the hands on the person themselves.”

It is in this regard he posited “ensure that your garbage bins have holes at the bottom or the side for that leachate to come out naturally through a compression. Failure to do so we will issue you with a warning and if you do not still comply we will not collect your garbage.”

Narine noted it is critical for the residents of Georgetown and the council to work as a team since the goal in the long term is to ensure there is a clean and sustainable capital city.

Residents do not have to pay a fee when the council disposes of their waste.