Govt. still searching for solutions to single-use plastic problem

(Kaieteur News) Local Government and Regional Development Minister Priya Manickchand said Guyana is actively examining alternatives to handle plastic waste, as the government continues to search for a viable, long-term solution to a single-use plastic problem.

Speaking on The Guyana Dialogue, Manickchand detailed the central dilemma facing policymakers: while single-use plastics continue to clog municipal waterways and burden local infrastructure, central government and regulatory agencies remain stalled on how best to transition away from disposable materials without triggering severe economic side effects or unrealistic recycling demands.

Addressing queries regarding local recycling options for bottles and cans, Manickchand explained that government assessments keep running into the reality of Guyana’s small market scale. “A lot of the language I’m hearing from recycling providers is that our volume is so small that for it to be profitable for them, we’d have to be producing… a lot more plastic waste, which is not something necessarily we want to do,” Manickchand said.