A public/private partnership, to help alleviate the large amount of plastic on the islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique, has been lauded by Minister for Carriacou and Petite Martinique Affairs & Local Government, Hon. Tevin Andrews.
Minister Andrews today witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Grenada Solid Waste Management Authority (GSWMA) and No-To-Single Use-Plastic Association.
The signing ceremony took place on the compound of the GSWMA at Six Roads, Carriacou.
Under the MOU, the GSWMA will assist the Association, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), in collecting plastic material on the islands and using Solid Waste Authority’s compound for storage of the material.
The collaboration is commendable and will aid in the preservation and protection of the environment and of marine life, Minister Andrews said.
He also used the opportunity to call on citizens, locally and in the Diaspora, to become change agents of the environment and to partner with the Government on similar initiatives.
GSWMA General Manager, Lyndon Robertson, says the signing of the MOU with the NGO is a very important one, as the agency he heads prepares to transition from waste disposal to resource recovery.
The GSWMA, he added, continues to work on the protection of the health of citizens and the environment and now is in discussions with the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) for a similar project in Grenada.
Richard LaFlamme, Project Founder of No-To-Single-Use-Plastic Association, said a heavy-duty granulator is expected on island next month to entrap all waste plastic into concrete blocks by replacing 10% of gravel. He said the eco-blocks will be competitive, sustainable and meet class “A” structural specifications of the Bureau of Standards.
