Freed: Timothy Charles, also known as Leon De Young and Howard De Jonge

Solid Waste Manager of the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) Walter Narine has revealed that a recent late-night stakeout enforcement tactic on Wednesday has already led to some three arrests and fines for littering in Georgetown.
He revealed this ground-breaking effort to capture illegal dumpers to this publication in a recent telephone interview.

“So last night we caught three persons; I and a constable from the Guyana Police Force were there on the streets, but going forward we will get more personnel, and the team will be bigger,” Narine explained.
Meanwhile, he emphasised that the efforts will continue, noting that additional operations are already being scheduled.
“On Thursday we are set starting at 10pm, and that is our goal – to send a message to persons about the severity of how we see this case of littering in Guyana.”
He noted that the last time such an operation was carried out was five years ago, and it was conducted during the day.
However, officials have now observed that many individuals – and even businesses – are dumping garbage at night.
“We realised that people are now coming out in the night time to dump, and in fact businesses are doing it too, which highlights that it’s not only homeless persons who are engaging in this,” Narine pointed out.
Looking ahead, Narine suggested that penalties should include more than just fines.
“I wish that these persons who are caught could do community service. I think that will further enhance the goal of what we are doing, but this is something we will have to work on with the magistrates and the relevant authorities,” he said.
Sharing details of the operation, the city mayor highlighted that the effort extended beyond enforcement and included on-the-ground clean-up by staff. In a recent social media post, he reported, “Our objective tonight wasn’t only the stakeout to arrest litterbugs, but the staff also cleaned up two dumpsites – Alexander and Church Streets, and Alexander Street between North Road and Church Street.”

Clean up after yourself
Meanwhile, as cleaning efforts sweep across the city of Georgetown, Dr Josh Kanhai, Deputy Permanent Secretary (Administration), urged citizens to clean up after themselves and refrain from littering across Guyana.
Dr Kanhai made the remarks during a recent clean-up exercise, stressing the importance of individual responsibility in maintaining a clean environment.
He highlighted that it is not an easy task that the officials are doing and said that at times, it is as if they have to clean up after citizens.
“We shouldn’t have to be doing this because garbage belongs in a bin. As a young man, I try as much as possible to set that example. It’s simple, and I encourage others to do the same: if you have garbage in your hand, look for a garbage bin – it won’t kill you. That is something I do, and I challenge you all to do the same. Please use the garbage bins, because cleanliness begins at home. Our home is Guyana, and we need to keep it clean. I urge you, let’s all work together to keep Guyana clean.”
Director General of the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, Anand Persaud, spoke on the wider initiative being undertaken by the Ministry to ensure Georgetown maintains its reputation as the “Garden City”.
“At the Local Government Ministry, we have embarked on several initiatives, and I am pleased to say that this is one of them. We have started the clean-up around the city – not on a very large scale yet, but in a way that we intend to sustain.”
Meanwhile, he stated that a number of staff from the Ministry of Local Government came out to serve, and he extended his thanks towards them.
He further highlighted that they were able to clean two areas – Stabroek Market and the Bank of Guyana surroundings, as well as along Avenue of the Republic.
“This is something we want to sustain while also finding more meaningful ways to do it on a regular basis. Once again, thank you to the Ministry staff and, most of all, the members of the security forces who assisted us.”