SWMCOL urges: Get into Green

Ronald Roach
Ronald Roach

THE Solid Waste Management Company Ltd (SWMCOL) is now on a campaign to expand its Get into Green initiatives to help TT beat plastic pollution. With its slogan: Reduce! Reuse! Recycle! the company is hoping to change attitudes to the environment.

Chief executive officer Ronald Roach says, if you can’t reuse it, refuse it. He told Newsday that creating a society that cares for the environment is central to SWMCOL’s vision for TT. “The gradual emergence of a subculture of seeming complacency with respect to the care for and respect of the environment means that we must continue to modify our approach to building a cleaner and greener country. SWMCOL is working hard to do just that.”

He believes the implementation of a major targeted, integrated marketing communication plan that will help positively impact citizen’s attitudes towards care for the environment is critical in shaping beliefs and attitudes. To achieve the results desired, he said SWMCOL must secure the necessary resources and support to ensure that citizens grow in their commitment to creating a greener TT.

Roach said: “The aim is ensure that the marketing effort will do for SWMCOL and Trinbago today what the renowned ‘Nag Charlie Away’ campaign did for citizens then. The aim is to develop and roll-out a new approach that is both emotionally compelling for children as well as intellectually persuasive for adults.”

As part of this campaign, the company is partnering with Government through its line ministry, the Ministry of Public Utilities as well as municipal corporations, the Tobago House of Assembly, business enterprises, non-governmental organisations and community-based organisations to implement recycling systems and programmes that will encourage the public to develop a culture of waste reduction and recycling.

Specifically, the get into green campaign involves public education as well as development of recycling programmes throughout the country. While SWMCOL’s role is to provide logistics, training, education and support to the recycling programmes, each entity would have their role in sustaining the programme and providing for storage and in some cases collection of the recycled items.

SWMCOL has developed three specific recycling programmes:

Public Sector Recycling Program (PSRP), where employees of the various ministries and government agencies would be provided with the opportunity to recycle both beverage containers as well as office paper. Specially marked bins have since been provided and the employees have been educated on the requirements in separating the waste for recycling.

To date the PSRP has been rolled out at the Ministry of Public Utilities, the MET offices (north and south), the Electrical Inspectorate Division, the Ministry of Rural Development and Local Government, the Office of the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Attorney General and Legal Affairs, the office of the Chief Secretary, THA, the Ministry of Community Development, Culture and the Arts and the Public Transport Service Corporation.

Workplace Waste Reduction and Recycling Programme (WRAP).

Roach said this programme is similar to the PSRP but targeted to private entities.

The Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago and UWI Alma Jordan Library are currently enrolled in this programme.

Curbside Collection Programme

This programme is geared towards bringing recycling to the curbside where residences have the opportunity to separate the recyclable beverage containers and put it out on the curbside for collection on a specified day of the week. This programme was established on a pilot basis in Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation and Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo Regional Corporation and is about to be launched at the San Fernando City Corporation.

Roach said SWMCOL intends to work with all 14 municipal corporations to have similar programmes implemented.

Apart from this, SWMCOL is also partnering with the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) in its ICare Programme, with the latter being responsible for the placing of 80 bins at strategic points throughout the country, after which SWMCOL receives the collected material for processing.

To cater for the processing of recyclables, SWMCOL has established two processing depots, one at its landfill in Guanapo, Arima, and another at the Namdevco facility in Sea Lots, Port of Spain.

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