The Haags Bosch landfill site on the East Bank of Demerara is set to be closed in 2029, Minister of Local Government and Regional Development Priya Manickchand confirmed on Thursday.
The announcement came during consideration of the 2026 Budget Estimates in the Committee of Supply, after Opposition MP Ganesh Mahipaul pressed the minister on the future of the landfill, which now sits amid rapidly expanding housing schemes, highways and commercial developments.
The landfill, Guyana’s first engineered sanitary landfill, was designed with multiple cells – Cell One and Cell Two have already been completed and closed. Cell Three has recently been opened and is currently in use.
“When that’s filled, we’ll close it,” the Minister said, explaining that closure will follow the engineered design of the site rather than being done prematurely.
Mahipaul raised concerns that Haags Bosch is now surrounded by significant development, including new housing schemes, highways and the 12-storey Ministry of Public Works complex, which is under construction.
He argued that the landfill’s original buffer zone has been significantly reduced due to rapid expansion along the East Bank corridor.
The Minister acknowledged the development in the area, noting the extensive housing distribution and infrastructure upgrades over the past five years, but maintained that mitigation works have significantly reduced the impact on nearby communities.
One of the major complaints about Haags Bosch has been the foul odour affecting surrounding communities such as Eccles, Windsor Estates, Prospect and Providence.
Minister Manickchand said that between September and mid-December, all exposed old garbage at the site was covered, significantly reducing the long-standing smell problem in residential areas.
“What we were getting was decaying garbage smell travelling into communities,” she explained. “That is no longer happening.”
However, she admitted that motorists along the East Bank Highway may still detect odours from newly deposited waste. The Ministry, she said, is working with technical experts on further solutions to address the remaining issue.
If internal solutions fail, she added, the government would seek external expertise.
Beyond Haags Bosch, the government is planning a series of new, modern landfill sites across Guyana, as part of a broader overhaul of solid waste management.
Proposed locations include:
- Zorg-en-Vlygt (Region Two)
- La Grange/Catherine (Region Three)
- Onderneeming (Region Five)
- Madewini (Region Four)
- Fort Success (Region Six)
- Lethem (Region Nine)
- Mabaruma/Rockstone (Region Ten)
- Additional sites in the Mazaruni and MMA Scheme areas
These facilities, the Minister said, will adopt a more modern, circular approach to waste management.
Minister Manickchand said every municipality and Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) will receive garbage trucks, bins and compactors this year, alongside a national public education campaign aimed at changing waste disposal habits.
“This cannot just be the government’s responsibility,” she told the House. “The nation has to get behind changing our habits on waste disposal.”
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