Over 20 persons fined as EPA ramps up anti-litter enforcement

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says more than 20 persons have already been fined for littering as authorities intensify enforcement efforts across the country.

Head of EPA Investigations and Enforcement, Surjpaul Singh, revealed that the agency began the strengthened enforcement drive in March and has since seen several persons penalised for violating anti-littering regulations.

“So far we would have commenced this like in March and so far we actually fined over 20 to 25 persons and we have been seeing compliance of persons coming to pay their fines and so on,” Singh told the News Room during an exclusive interview recently.

According to Singh, many of the reports are being received through social media and the EPA’s “Clean 592” web-based reporting app, where members of the public submit photos and videos of persons littering.

“We are receiving reports of persons littering and we get that mostly on social media where we have video evidence of them actually committing an offence,” he said.

The app allows reports to be submitted in real time, enabling the agency to quickly launch investigations and take enforcement action.

“So soon as you upload, we are in receipt and can take action,” Singh noted.

He explained that persons caught littering from motor vehicles can also be identified through their licence plate numbers.

“If it’s a motor vehicle we collect the license plate and we share that information with GRA (Guyana Revenue Authority) who then provide the information to us, like the person’s contact information, and we send a fine to them,” Singh said.

He added that most offenders are given the option of paying a fixed penalty rather than appearing before the courts.

“Mostly it’s a fixed penalty where we go to them and we offer them the opportunity to discharge liability to going to court,” Singh said.

Under the anti-littering regulations, individuals can face fines of up to $50,000, while businesses can be fined up to $100,000.

Meanwhile, Executive Director of the EPA, Kemraj Parsram, reminded the public that the laws have existed since 2013 and warned that littering in any form is an offence.

“You can throw sand, water, dirt, plastic, paper…it is the act of littering. Once you do that then you are liable to penalties,” Parsram said.