CASTRIES, St. Lucia, CMC – Dominica, and Grenada, the two countries within the sub-regional Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) implementing the Recycle OECS Model Demonstration Projects, have agreed on the mechanisms that are most feasible for the collection and processing of recyclable plastic in their countries.
A statement issued by the St. Lucia-based OECS Commission said that this milestone is significant for finalizing mechanisms under the technical pillar of the Recycle OECS Model, which focuses on a financially sustainable separation, collection, and processing system.
It said the remaining pillars focus on economic, financial, regulatory, institutional, and communications requirements for a sustainable model.
The Dominica Solid Waste Management Corporation (DSWMC) will retain curbside collection, having operated an established system since 2011.
Dominica is the only English-speaking Caribbean country to operate a curbside collection for recyclable glass bottles, plastic bottles, and tin cans. The DSWMC will continue to process the segregated plastics collected at its recycling facility at the Fond Cole Landfill through sorting and baling.
The Commission said that analysis is currently being done to determine the DSWMC’s needs to strengthen its collection system’s operational efficiency, increase collection capacity, increase island-wide coverage, and process recyclable plastic for export.
To achieve this, under the Recycle OECS Project, the DSWMC receives technical advice, increased staffing, training, and equipment, including communication support.
In Grenada, establishing a dedicated multipurpose recycling facility at Queen’s Park in St. Georges is already in effect.
The OECS Commission said the facility will be retrofitted to process recyclable metals, glass, plastics, and other recyclables for export. Depots, bins in public spaces, and hotel collections will be the primary collection modes.
It said the Grenada Solid Waste Management Authority (GSWMA) will retain the services of existing waste collection contractors for transportation to the Facility. The Queen’s Park Multipurpose Recycling facility is on track for full commissioning by the end of the first quarter.
Last month, the GSWMA met with the Grenada Tourism Authority (GTA) and hotel executives to present and discuss the plans for the new Recycling Facility.
“Coming out of this dialogue, approximately 90 percent of Grenada’s large resorts pledged in principle to assume an active role in the recycling value chain. This will take the form of systems for on-site separation, responsibility for the delivery of recyclable plastics to the Recycling Facility, and also through collaboration with the GSWMA in areas such as schools and community outreach, and education.”
The OECS Commission said that targets for collecting and processing recyclable plastic under the two model demonstration projects have been set at 80 tonnes of PET plastics and 20 tonnes of HDPE plastics by the project’s completion date of December 2024.
“For sustainability and to minimize carbon emissions and market price fluctuations in shipping and plastics, collected recyclables will be sent to Latin America and Caribbean recycling facilities,” the Commission added.
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