North west primary schools get waste receptacles

The Ministry of Communities as part of its Green Generation of Guyana (3G) initiative, on Monday distributed seventy-four waste receptacles to North West Secondary and Hosororo, Mabaruma Baramita Primary schools.

According to a press release from the Department of Public Information (DPI), the 3Gs project was born out of the realization that children were inculcating the practices of adults who were disposing of their garbage indiscriminately, and it is aimed at sensitizing children on the basics of waste management, including waste separation, composting and recycling.

Public Relations Officer Danielle Campbell-Lowe explained that the green receptacle is for organic waste and can be used for agricultural purposes, while the blue receptacle is for inorganic waste that is harmful to the Earth, the DPI release said. Flashcards and posters on methods of waste disposal were also distributed to the schools.

“… we hope soon to have the landfill sites in operation… so soon we will have proper garbage disposals like in Georgetown where the waste will be picked up and taken to the landfill, hopefully before the end of the year,” Mabaruma’s Deputy Mayor, Astrille Gamell was quoted as saying in the press release, while noting that the strategy is vital and will foster good waste disposal practices among future generations.

“I plan to share the news to my parents, also students at the school how to dispose and recycle waste,” Antwon Cush of Mabaruma Primary, was quoted in the DPI release. Students from the various primary and secondary schools who attended the project introduction, engaged in a demonstration with the ministry’s team, according to the DPI statement.

The 3Gs project was launched in August 2016 at various summer camps, followed by visits to orphanages, child care homes and community-based organisations, the press release said. The ministry, which took the project to primary schools across Guyana in February 2017, is expected to wrap up the first phase of its initiative before the end of September in Anna Regina, Region Two. The second phase of the project will commence in December and continue throughout 2018, to benefit state agencies across Guyana.