Amcham collects 40 bags of garbage at QPS

MORE than 40 bags of garbage, loaded with plastic bottles, cans, lunch boxes, forks and cups, were collected inside the Queen’s Park Savannah, Port of Spain, on Saturday, when scores of volunteers took part in a clean-a-thon, organised by the American Chamber of Commerce TT (Amcham TT).

The event was held both in commemoration of the 2019 UN World Environmental Day, and to launch AmCham’s 23rd annual Health, Safety, Security and Environment (HSSE) conference and exhibition, which takes place on October 23 and 24.

Employees volunteered from Amcham member companies, including BPTT, Atlantic, TSL Group of Companies, Unipet, Esau Oilfield, Cariri and Yara.

Amcham CEO Nirad Tewarie, focusing on the adverse effects of air pollution, said: “When products such as plastic products, bottles, aluminium cans, Styrofoam and grocery bags or plastic bags are not properly disposed of, it unleashes toxic pollutants that can contaminate ground water and emission of gases into the atmosphere known as out-gassing. This causes different types of diseases and other forms of respiratory tract infections in humans, which is why we need to start addressing these life-threatening problems.”

In keeping with the UN World Environmental Day’s central theme – air pollution – the clean-up event featured a food security initiative in which companies donated seedlings with the intention of boosting local home gardening projects.

The initiative was also designed to promote eco-friendly lifestyle choices for the benefit of the natural ecosystem and to assist in curbing the detrimental effects of climate change.

Amcham will discuss topics, including the effects of air pollution, disaster resiliency, and TT’s COP 21 commitments at the HSSE conference and exhibition. COP (conference of the parties) refers to the countries which signed up to the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Tewarie said air pollution remains a timely and relevant issue, particularly with the elevated and lasting levels of Sahara dust in the country over the past several months.

Amcham’s two-day HSSE conference and exhibition will take place at Hyatt, and involve its membership of nearly 300 companies.