Paradigm shift required: Environmental activist
Barbados must embrace the concept of the circular economy.
That’s the view of environmental activist Kammie Holder. He is contending that it must be the direction that Barbados goes in, if it is to treat to waste reduction and by extension the quantities of waste making their way to our landfill.
With that in mind, Holder, in an interview with The Barbados Advocate explained that recycling will have to be a major component of that circular economy cycle, and he is adamant that there are opportunities within that cycle for Barbadians to start new enterprises and be gainfully employed.
“It means then that things in our waste stream would be given a second life. The plastic bottles can become roof tiles; the glass bottles can become water goblets, the construction waste can be used to make new concrete and organic waste can become compost. We import a lot of fertiliser and compost annually, can you imagine the money we could save if everyone did that?” Holder stated.
He made the points while maintaining that there are currently companies in Barbados which collect and recycle products such as paper, oil, metal, plastic and glass, but he argued that the recycling sector has not been properly developed and lacks the support from Government that is needed. To that end, while contending that the time is ripe for Barbados to legislate recycling, he said that together with the right financial incentives for such businesses, the country could really make a dent in its waste.
“We must at the level of Government move towards the banning of single use plastic bags, plastic forks, spoons, styrofoam containers, plates and cups – those things need to be banned. We have in our midst bagasse which can be used to make food grade containers, so once the financial incentives are there we can seek smart partnerships with international partners to produce products. So, we cannot only see China for loans, but see them as a nation with a lot of cutting-edge technology that we can partner with to boost our circular economy,” he stated.
He added, ““Levi Strauss is taking old clothing and making it into new microfibres; old shoes are being made into insulation material, so once we can attract the smart partnerships, a lot of the things we send to the landfill won’t go there.”
Responding to the age-old argument that Barbadians are not accustomed to recycling and it will be a difficult shift, Holder is contending it will not be.
Holder said, “The same Barbadian we are concerned about would leave Barbados tonight and go to the United States and he is not going to put everything in the bin. He would be made aware what things can be put out today and he would comply. So why is it so difficult in Barbados?” (JRT)