RECYCLE For Life (RFL) on Saturday staged a Christmas Clean-up Bash at the Alligator Pond fishing village as part of the environmental company’s Christmas anti-litter campaign.

The Alligator Pond Community Centre and the beach immediately adjoining the Alligator Pond fishing village and the “Sand Dune” were the areas targeted.

Other organisations involved in the Clean-up Bash were Manchester Environmental Protection Agency (MEPA); the Social Development Commission (SDC); Southern Parks and Markets (SPM); Alligator Pond Consultative Committee; Alligator Pond All Age School and the Boys’ Scout Association as well as other community members.

RFL’s executive director, Bevon Morrison, said that the clean-up exercise at Alligator Pond will underline his company’s commitment to promote proper solid waste practices in central Jamaica.

He added that events like these is a key part of changing the attitudes of Jamaicans towards solid waste in their communities.

“By playing a role in the restoration of some of our natural resources we will begin to tackle the problem of solid waste in our country, where gullies, open lots, beaches and water-ways are usually the preferred sites for garbage disposal rather than the assigned receptacles,” Morrison said.

He further added that RFL’s ongoing educational work in schools and communities is a fundamental part of the process of changing attitudes toward solid waste management in Jamaica and will, in the long term, ensure the protection and preservation of the country’s natural resources.

Valerie Dixon of MEPA said the clean-up exercise signifies “the start of a wonderful relationship” between the environmental NGOs.

“It represents the coming together of civil society trying to work in tandem with the government, stakeholders in industry and commerce and other agencies, all seeking to find a solution to the challenge that face us as we strive to forge from our diversiveness a unified nation.

The Christmas Bash marked the official launch of MEPA.

Alligator Pond is a busy, rural fishing village, which is regarded as one of the most popular fishing bays in Manchester. According to the National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA), Alligator Pond is host to a number of Jamaica’s endemic species, largely due to its bio-diversity. It is a popular site for academic expeditions and investigations. The massive sand dunes also add to the area’s special appeal. Alligator Pond, however, has been under threat from the indiscriminate disposal of garbage in the area or debris that are washed ashore from the beach.

RFL is seeking to attract national attention to the importance of solid waste management, in particular the recycling of PET plastics, in safeguarding public health and the environment in affected communities such as Alligator Pond. The sustainability of these projects is hinged on community support and participation.

To date RFL has cleaned seven sites across the island.

RFL’s South Coast office is located at the Sustainable Community Foundation Secretariat in Mandeville, which also houses the offices of the Caribbean Chapter of the International Institute for Peace through Tourism.