Grenada, alongside the Commonwealth of Dominica, has been selected by the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) to pilot an initiative aimed at reducing plastic pollution in the OECS.
This announcement was made at the Unveiling of the Regional Recycle OECS project by the OECS Environmental Sustainability Division on the 7th June, when it was announced that following an assessment for eligibility, Grenada was found to be most prepared for a project of that nature given its outstanding advancements in the area of solid waste management.
Recycle OECS is a two-year European Union-funded project implemented by the OECS Commission in partnership with the Agence Française de Développement (AFD). It supports the broader European Union (EU) Zero Waste initiative in the Caribbean Programme, which aims to strengthen the EU-Caribbean partnership for cooperation in the field of circular economy and solid waste management.
Outputs of the project include the design and implementation of a model for sustainable waste separation, collection, and recycling of plastic waste for the OECS – steps that fall in line with the direction the Grenada Solid Waste Management Authority (GSWMA) is heading.
GSWMA’s Communications Manager Myrna Julien is ecstatic about the timing.
“We are at the crossroads of changing the way we manage waste, with plans to focus greater attention on waste diversion, both as a means of encouraging businesses to be born out of waste, while cutting back on waste going to the landfills, and for addressing the countless environmental and public health challenges that have emerged from improper disposal of waste,” she said. Grenada’s selection, she added “will be good news for all our stakeholders in the fight against marine pollution, including Government Ministries, NGOs and interests in the private sector.”
On June 5th, the GSWMA reinforced its position on waste separation by launching 120 colour-coded bins to be strategically placed in towns, beaches, commercial centers and known hotspots for littering to spur public participation in effective waste management, and help to curb marine plastic pollution, in particular. The units were obtained under the OECS ReMlit project with financing from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
During the unveiling of the Recycle OECS Head of the OECS Environmental Sustainability Division, Mr. Chamberlain Emmanuel referred to the project as an advance in the strides of the region to position its perspectives and prospects toward the vision of A Model Blue Economy Region. He observed that the region is “littered with plans – vision plans, strategic plans, and action plans, but there is a wide lag in implementation,” and challenged Member States to “change the tides and get it done”.
Ms. Susana Fuertes, EU representative, Programme Officer and Climate Change Focal Point for Green Deal Partnership for the Caribbean stated that the Project “will support the improvement in investment in the waste sector as well, which presents many opportunities for explorations and synergies under the Global Gateway Investment.”
An important aspect of the Recycle OECS model is that it will consider a regional approach, self-financing, sustainability, and business viability.
Following the official sign-off by the selected Member States, their waste management authorities will work with the technical consultants to commence stakeholder engagement activities to present the model and adapt it. Once finalized, the model will be made available to other OECS Member States and Small Island Developing States in the Region for adoption or adaption.
Both Grenada and Dominica were selected because they met the eligibility criteria and were deemed most ready and viable for that purpose.