Recycling initiative

One community is already paving the way to a cleaner, greener Barbados, through ensuring that the bulk of its generated waste does not end up in the ever-growing landfill.

Shari Lobo, Co-ordinator of the Atlantic Shores Network (ASN) Recycling Initiative, stated that as a small island nation, it was critical for Barbadians to embrace recycling, and so the project, which began last June, encourages persons to bring sorted recyclable materials, like glass, paper, plastic and metal, to a collection point to be carted away to several local recycling companies.

“As much as we can do to minimise what’s going in to our landfills is important, due to the fact that we do not have the space to be continually expanding such areas,” she told the media yesterday morning.

“It started off with just this neighbourhood, and persons would tell their friends and we found that there was a real need in Barbados, and people started to gravitate to it, and will continue to do so once they have access and it is consistent. So anyone can come once they respect drop off times,” she said, outlining that collection dates were every first and third Saturday of the month, between the times of 7 a.m. and 9 a.m.

Pointing out that the interest was growing, she encouraged other neighbourhoods to follow suit, while noting that discussions were ongoing to have another similar project set up on the South Coast in Worthing.

“There is a high concentration of homes in that area, and when you look at the garbage overflow, the amount of things in that garbage pail that can be recycled is huge. When it is overflowing, it falls into the street into the drainage system, and then we end up having situations like we recently had,” she stated. (JMB)