On October 7 and 8, 2026, the PROMAR Team in Guyana hosted a two-day capacity-building workshop titled “Turning Plastic Waste into Opportunity – Hands-on Recycling for Guyana” at the Hogben Drayton Maths and Science Center, University of Guyana, Turkeyen Campus. Organized within the framework of the Prevention of Marine Litter in the Caribbean Sea (PROMAR) Project, the short course trained 21 people in practical ways to recover discarded plastics and transform them into useful, marketable products.

The workshop was facilitated by Seon Hamer, under the leadership of Professor Temitope Oyedotun, Guyana-PROMAR Team Lead. It combined technical demonstrations, hands-on exercises and discussions on the economic opportunities linked to plastic waste valorization, with the aim of strengthening local technical capacity while reducing plastic pollution in Guyana’s terrestrial and aquatic environments.

The first day laid the foundations. After a welcome, safety briefing and distribution of personal protective equipment, participants learned how to identify and sort common plastics, including plastic codes #1, #2 and #4, and explored collection strategies for both urban and rural settings. Sessions on cleaning, drying and storage addressed Guyana-specific challenges, particularly humidity. Participants then moved to hands-on production, transforming high-density polyethylene (HDPE) into keyrings and souvenirs. Working through the full process, from cutting and stacking sheets to heat pressing, cooling, shaping and finishing, they practiced each step with safety as a constant focus. The afternoon introduced methods for recycling single-use plastic bags, including shredding, heat pressing and compression molding, followed by a session on quality control, finishing techniques and safe handling of heat, fumes, fire and electrical equipment.

The second day focused on converting discarded polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles into filament suitable for 3D printing using the pultrusion method. Participants worked through the full process, from cleaning and drying to strip cutting and post-drying, and learned how to manage humidity, a key challenge for recycling in Guyana’s tropical climate. The program also introduced advanced recycling options, printing basics, first calibration prints and troubleshooting techniques.

The afternoon turned to the business side of recycling. Participants examined production costs, product development, branding, marketing and sales channels, and explored how community-based recycling enterprises could grow. In the final session, groups presented short project outlines covering collection, product choice, safety and 30-day actions, and received peer feedback and coaching from facilitators. Each participant also received a resource pack with quick-reference checklists and local sourcing tips.

A central theme of the workshop was that plastic waste can become a valuable resource rather than an environmental burden. Through integrated action-planning exercises, participants explored practical approaches to starting small-scale recycling initiatives and strengthening local circular economy value chains in Guyana.

The workshop contributed to PROMAR’s broader objectives of reducing marine litter, promoting sustainable waste management and supporting locally appropriate circular economy solutions. By building practical skills and encouraging innovation, the PROMAR Team in Guyana is helping to develop the country’s recycling capacity and advance a more resource-efficient, environmentally sustainable future.