PARADISE Preparatory School in St James is the regional winner of the National Solid Waste Management Authority’s clean school competition.

The Westmoreland school emerged champion on June 6, from a group of 13 finalists drawn from Trelawny, St James, Hanover and Westmoreland.

The schools were visited and inspected over a period of five months to ensure their compliance with the prerequisites of the competition. The criteria included:

. absence of burning;

. proper containerisation of waste;

. an environmental programme (inclusive of clubs and monitors);

. reusing/recycling initiatives; and

. waste-to-art projects.

The culmination of the competition was a major feature marking National Solid Waste Management Day, which was staged under the theme ‘Transforming the environment through our youth’.

“In light of the indiscriminate and wanton disposal of garbage, an environmental transformation is of paramount importance right now, and a good place to start is always through educating the public,” said Major Milverton Munroe, regional operations manager of Western Parks and Markets (WPM) Waste Management Limited, in a release to the media.

He added that the competition formed part of the NSWMA’s public education programme, which focuses primarily on the youth.

“The rationale of this is that once they have internalised the standards of proper waste disposal, then change will be evident in the behaviour and practices of this generation and the next, because the core principles imparted would have become a way of life,” Munroe noted.

“The main thrust right now is to prompt changes in the present waste management practices displayed by members of the public, and this, of course, we hope to achieve through the recently launched anti-litter campaign, which will result in a cleaner, healthier and more aesthetic environment,” he added.

All finalists in the competition, meanwhile, presented creative pieces of art made from waste material, and cultural performances highlighting the need for proper waste management to save the environment.

It was a message that was endorsed by guest speaker Lemuel Brady, who is director of Health Ministries at the West Jamaica Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.

The pieces were viewed by a panel of judges, and Cornwall College copped the trophy for best cultural item while Corinaldi Avenue Primary took the prize for best waste-to-art project.

The competition started with 32 schools, 13 of which remained as finalists. Parish winners were:

. Wakefield Primary in Trelawny;

. Paradise Prep and Negril All-Age in Westmoreland;

. Mt Horeb Primary and Montego Bay Preparatory School in St James; as well as

. Maryland All-Age and Jericho All-Age in Hanover.

They all held first and second places respectively.