Reducing the amount of biodegradable waste sent to Guyana’s landfills should begin at the household level, according to Waste To Wealth Caribbean Inc. Founder Rampertab Etwaria, who raised the issue during a courtesy meeting with Minister of Local Government and Regional Development Priya Manickchand this week.
Etwaria presented the organisation’s approach to diverting biodegradable materials before they enter the country’s garbage collection and landfill systems.
“The solution to overcrowded landfills does not start at the dumpsite. It starts in our citizens’ kitchens.”
The initiative encourages households to Separate, Divert, Compost and Monetize organic materials generated in their homes.
Under the programme, families combine organic kitchen materials and cardboard in backyard composting systems to produce Organic Miracle Garden Soil (O.M.G.S.) in approximately 12 weeks. The resulting compost can be used for soil improvement and household food production, or potentially sold.
Etwaria told the minister that the organisation has conducted six educational activities during 2026 and worked with 77 families in Georgetown and Linden. Some of those families are now progressing through the composting and harvesting stages.
The organisation also reported that it introduced Guyana’s inaugural observance of International Compost Awareness Week in May 2026. An activity at the National Park involved 39 families.
Waste To Wealth Caribbean is seeking to work with Government, businesses, communities and development partners to expand household education and participation, with a target of reaching 1,000 Champion Families by 2030 and reducing landfill-bound waste by 25 per cent by that year.
Etwaria said the objective is to change how households view biodegradable materials before they become part of the waste stream.
“We want to upgrade how citizens think, from waste management to wealth management. Instead of asking only how we manage garbage when it reaches the dumpsite, we want citizens asking how much of what leaves their kitchens should ever become garbage in the first place,” he said.
The organisation currently offers a 12-week Waste To Wealth Family Programme, which teaches households how to convert organic kitchen materials and cardboard into O.M.G.S.
The programme costs GYD$25,000 for a do-it-yourself option and GYD$50,000 for a supported programme that includes mentorship and onsite assistance through the first harvest. Participants who successfully complete the programme and meet its requirements may qualify for a Train the Trainer pathway.
While the initiative focuses on household-level intervention, waste collection and disposal remain the responsibility of local authorities and other public agencies.
Waste To Wealth Caribbean is proposing that household composting and waste separation become an additional component of efforts to reduce the volume of biodegradable material entering the collection and landfill system.
The organisation maintains that its approach is aimed at reducing waste at source while producing compost that can be used to improve soil and support household food production.
