The program is supporting Guyana and other Caribbean and Pacific Island countries in reducing GHG emissions within the waste sector over a four-year period.
With support from Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), the Recycle Organics team will head to Guyana, from July 8-12 to accelerate the program’s progress in supporting the country to reduce its methane emissions from the waste sector. During the event, the team will present the home composting program to the community. In the coming months, the team will be handing out composting bins and equipment for local communities to take home.
The pilot home composting program will support local communities across Guyana, creating significant environmental, economic and social benefits. The Recycle Organics team will host an introductory meeting at the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development on the morning of July 8 in Georgetown, convening representatives from the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, the Ministry of Agriculture, the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI), the Guyana Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Land and Survey Commission, and the Office of Climate Change.
Home composting is the most cost-effective method to manage organic waste. Composting at home allows families and communities to significantly reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills, which in turn decreases methane emissions—the culprit behind nearly 45% of global warming today. Additionally, home composting enriches soil, promotes healthy plant growth and educates people on sustainable waste management.
The underlying goal of the Recycle Organics program is to help the countries it supports achieve the Global Methane Pledge of reducing their methane emissions by 30% by 2030. The Program, led by CCAP and ImplementaSur, focuses on policy and projects, helping to create enabling conditions for a sustainable expansion of organic waste treatment technologies and develops a community of practice within the regions it supports.
Recycle Organics has a particular focus on working with developing countries and Small Island Developing States (SIDS), which have historically contributed the least to climate change but are typically hit the hardest by its cascading effects. Many of these countries are especially vulnerable to extreme heat, intensified storms and flooding because of the warming planet, making the goals of the Paris Agreement to keep warming below 1.5°C evermore critical.
This event takes place within the context of a long-term commitment with Guyana and other SIDS, including Belize, Saint Lucia and Grenada, aiming to provide technical assistance and develop a pipeline of projects within the Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) sector, while helping countries develop national policies that transform the sector in the long term and reduce methane emissions.
“Drawing from our rich experiences in Latin America and the Caribbean, we’ve been instrumental in supporting Guyana and Small Island Developing States (SIDS),” said ImplementaSur Director, Gerardo Canales. “This trip is an opportunity to highlight our ongoing efforts in Guyana over the past year, outline our objectives for 2025 and introduce the pilot home composting program to the community. We believe this program will not only make a significant contribution in waste reduction but also inspire a shift in people’s attitudes and behavior towards waste management.”
The Recycle Organics program works with over 20 countries around the world to cut methane emissions from the waste sector. Projects developed through the program could mitigate up to +30.1 million tons of CO2e. To learn more about the Program, visit the website here.