At a time when global efforts to curb plastic pollution have hit a standstill, a young Guyanese student is proving that individual action still matters. Policy Forum Guyana (PFG) has recognised Sian Jeune, a fifth-form student of Queen’s College, for her outstanding personal initiative to combat plastic waste — earning her the title of 2025 Waste to Win Champion.
Although there was no official Waste to Win competition in 2025, Sian chose to continue the mission on her own. From January to September 2025, working out of her home in North Ruimveldt, she collected and sorted 762 plastic bottles and 361 tin cans for recycling.
Sian said her motivation came from witnessing plastic litter accumulating along the Georgetown seawall.
“Even though it was just me, I felt I could still make a difference,” she told PFG staff. “It might seem tedious at first, but after a few weeks it becomes a routine. Anyone can do it—you just have to start.”
With the encouragement of her mother and support from other relatives, Sian sustained her recycling effort for months. Her family soon became more mindful of their consumption habits, even reducing their overall use of single-use plastics.
In recognition of her commitment, PFG presented Sian with a wooden plaque, a copy of its ECO-UNO environmental awareness game, and other prizes. The organisation also arranged for Cevons Waste Management to collect and recycle her materials, with continued support from ANSA McAL in promoting sustainable waste practices.
PFG’s Project Coordinator, Benita Davis, praised Sian’s initiative as a model of grassroots leadership:
“While governments debate and delay, young people like Sian remind us that leadership doesn’t always come from conference rooms. Her simple act of responsibility and persistence reflects the kind of change the world needs most.”
Sian’s recognition comes amid global disappointment following the collapse of the 2025 Global Plastics Treaty negotiations in Geneva earlier this year. The final round of talks — known as INC-5.2 — ended without agreement, as countries remained divided on whether to cap virgin plastic production. The failure left hopes for a legally binding global treaty uncertain and reinforced the need for local and individual action.
The Waste to Win initiative, launched in 2024 by PFG in collaboration with Cevons Waste Management Inc., ANSA McAL Distribution Inc., and PBS Technologies, engaged more than 60 students from 20 schools, diverting over 28,000 plastic bottles and 7,700 aluminum cans from Guyana’s landfills.
Though the official competition was paused this year, Sian’s continued dedication illustrates the long-term impact of the programme — and how individual choices can drive environmental change, even when policy progress stalls.
“Sian’s story shows that the lessons of Waste to Win didn’t end with the competition,” Davis added. “They took root in young minds — and that’s where real change begins.”
