ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada - The Grenada Hotel and Tourism Association (GHTA) has commissioned a near half a million-dollar project which it says will reduce the volume of recyclable material entering Grenada’s waste stream.
The GHTA said that through its Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), the EC$486,000 investment will strengthen Grenada’s capacity to process glass waste bringing into operation an investment first announced in March 2025.
It said that the project represents the largest financial donation received by the Grenada Solid Waste Management Authority (GSWMA) reflecting the tourism industry’s growing involvement in initiatives supporting environmental sustainability and improved waste management.
“Tourism depends heavily on the quality of the environment in which it operates, so our responsibility must extend beyond our individual businesses. Through the Tourism Enhancement Fund, we have an opportunity to direct resources towards projects that deliver meaningful and lasting benefits,” said GHTA president Elvis Lewis.
“ Seeing this equipment now in operation is important because it moves the investment from commitment to tangible impact and strengthens Grenada’s capacity to manage waste more responsibly.”
The Tourism Enhancement Fund is supported through voluntary visitor contributions collected by participating tourism businesses and finances initiatives with environmental, tourism and community benefits.
GHTA chief executive officer, Arlene Friday, said the commissioning marks the point at which the investment begins delivering on its intended purpose.
“When we made this investment, the objective was to build capacity and support a system that can deliver longer-term value. The commissioning is an important milestone because the equipment can now begin doing the work it was intended to do. It also demonstrates what can be achieved when the tourism industry, Government and public/ private partnerships identify a shared priority and work together to address it.”
The GHTA said that the glass pulveriser forms part of broader efforts to strengthen recycling and waste diversion in Grenada, including improved separation, collection and processing of recyclable materials.
GSWMA has been working to expand the country’s recycling capacity and strengthen the systems required to divert recoverable materials from disposal.
“Glass presents a particular waste-management challenge when there is no appropriate processing infrastructure available,” said GSWMA’s integrated resource manager, Lyndon Charles.
“This system gives us greater capacity to manage that material and incorporate glass recovery more effectively into our operations. The next step is ensuring that collection and separation support the equipment so that we can maximize its use and most importantly, the environmental benefit it can deliver.”
