'Tackling Plastic Pollution is Priority' Says Grenada's Minister For Climate Resilience

St. George’s, GRENADA – Minister for Climate Resilience, the Environment and Renewable Energy, Kerryne James, said tackling plastic pollution on the island should be the immediate focus of the Grenada Solid Waste Management Authority (GSWMA) which has just launched the Grenada pilot of Recycle OECS Model Project.

Officials at the launch of the Grenada Recycle OECS Model Demonstration ProjectThe two-year project which is funded by the European Union and implemented by the OECS Commission in partnership with the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), is aimed at reducing plastic pollution in the OECS and will support the broader EU Zero Waste initiative in the Caribbean Programme, which aims to strengthen the EU-Caribbean partnership for cooperation in the Circular Economy and Solid Waste Management field.

“The key outputs are the design and implementation of a model for sustainable waste separation, collection, and recycling of plastic waste for the OECS,” a recent statement from the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) said.

It added that “An important aspect of the model is that it will consider a regional approach, self-financing, sustainability, and business viability.”

The Environment and Renewable Energy Minister,  in her feature address at the Recycle OECS demonstration launch, said this marks a turning point for the sector and that “the coming into being of the Recycle OECS Model project in Grenada comes at a time when the GSWMA is at the crossroads of changing the way waste will be managed in Grenada as we advance.”

The Minister further stated that the model’s success depends on a “whole of society” approach and commitment and discipline in adapting to new approaches to the management of waste and healthy partnerships, “and Grenada is up to the task!”

Minister James observed that the immediate focus is on tackling plastic pollution, Grenada’s participation in Recycle OECS sets the stage to reduce “huge quantities of waste being landfilled,” of which approximately 13.8% consists of plastics.

One day after launching the Recycle OECS Model Project, the GSWMA officially commissioned its last remaining cell at the Perseverance Landfill – the only Landfill facility on Grenada’s mainland.

With only a five-year lifespan projected for the new landfill facility, GSWMA General Manager Lyndon Robertson, described the time overlap of the two projects as a decisive moment for waste management in Grenada.

Speaking at the commissioning on the landfill, he stated, “We began to prepare for this day some time ago as we move towards the pathway of transitioning waste to a resource, and also by activating that important strategic objective of the Authority, to recycle about 80% of the waste we generate by 2035.”

Mr. Robertson added, “to extend the life of the landfill, we need to close that loop in how we manage our waste, and we need to have the principles of the circular economy incorporated into everything we do.” He hailed the selection of Grenada for the Recycle OECS Model demonstration as an important step “because this European Union funded project would allow us to access resources for capital investment and to operationalise recycling in Grenada.”

Head of OECS Environmental Sustainability Division, Mr. Chamberlain Emmanuel, said that much is riding on the demonstrations, as they will prove what works for Caribbean SIDS as it relates to “speed, scale, and stay.”

In that respect, “the region, even the world, will be looking to you to set the tone for SIDS in solving the Plastic (and broader) waste management issue, and the OECS Commission is here to support your journey,” he told the team at GSWMA.

Grenada and Dominica came in for high commendation from the OECS for their speedy acceptance of the conditions for Model Demonstration, notably, their stated commitment to promote and support the enabling environment for the successful implementation of the model and to support the post-project sustainability of the program.

“In Grenada’s case we are excited to see how existing innovative and entrepreneurial initiatives can be integrated into the model implementation for wide ownership and sustainability,” Emmanuel said.