The Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC) has been presented with an offer to partner with Dr Carl Niamatali, to put an immediate halt to the dumping and burning of garbage in Georgetown.
Dr Carl Niamatali during his power point presentation at M&CC
According to the Department of Public Information, Dr Niamatali told the council that his presentation points to solutions which will help with the proper managing of solid waste; including household, medical, and industrial waste. It also consists of various topics to prevent climate change and its catastrophic consequences.
The standing order was removed during the council’s statutory meeting to facilitate Dr Niamatali’s powerpoint presentation on ‘recycling and incineration” on Monday last.
He identified four major pillars which should be considered when combatting large amounts of solid waste. The doctor noted that every citizen must act responsibly as it relates to the discarding of solid waste.
In his presentation, he listed the seven ‘R’s which he believes can bring a halt to the issue. “We need to ‘Reduce’ the amount of garbage that we produce, ‘Re-use’ whatever we can. ‘Recycle’ – which means that all garbage must be separated. We need to ‘Replace’ plastic which is polluting the planet. We should ‘Respect’ the environment and respect ourselves. We must be ‘Responsible’ and ‘Ready’ for a change,” he is quoted by DPI as saying.
According to Dr Niamatali, a large amount of solid waste is usually generated from households. “Waste food, plastics, glass, cans and paper,” he listed. Adding, “We need to deal with batteries and electronic waste and tires.”
Underscoring the fact that “thousands of tons of solid waste are dumped in landfills every year” the doctor said the disadvantage to this method is that “everything is dumped regardless of the consequences and the toxicity of the materials.”
In addition, he highlighted that it costs the municipality a large sum of cash to develop and upkeep a dumpsite. “The cost is over $2Billion, it last ten years and cost $200Million, yearly. The monthly operating cost of the site is over $4Million and the operating cost for long-distance transport of garbage is astronomical.”
Dr Niamatali said the use of an incinerator, however, will be a better option and will not be a major health hazard. “Combustible organic substances which are burnt off, all that remains is ash. Toxic gases would be processed in a computerised system to ensure that no toxic gases are released,” Dr Niamatali explained.
He further pledged his support to collaborate with the M&CC to reduce the amount of solid waste.
