THE Sandals Foundation extended its “green thumb” this past week to the Negril Recycling Centre, donating $320,000 to support the facility’s plastic recycling project.

Spearheading innovative environmental conservation and material reuse, the recent grant to the centre represents a significant contribution towards the purchase of a 15 HP Nelmor Plastic Shredder; a crucial tool in the centre’s initiative to produce and distribute plastic lumber on the local market.

Indeed, in a novel way to deal with local plastic refuse, the centre worked in tandem with Environmental Resources Management (ERM), utilising their shredder to convert 26,000 pounds of plastic per week — roughly the weight of two adult elephants — to 240 pieces of 1X8X12 plastic lumber until the ERM proposed sale of the machine earlier this year.

Now with the help of the Sandals Foundation and the Environmental Foundation of Jamaica, the Negril Recycling Centre will purchase the machine from ERM and resume their production of recycled plastic products.

“Plastic recycling plays a huge role in environmental conservation and has spawned several ecological products, such as plastic lumber and alternative plastic fibres. Since inception of the project, the Negril facility has increased its collection of plastic refuse to meet the market demands for its cutting edge ‘go green’ products,” said a release from the Sandals Foundation.

It was the second time in the last eight months that the foundation was making a donation to the Negril Recycling Centre to help with special projects and critical operational needs. The foundation donated a half a million dollars to the centre in October last year to help with the reconstruction of the bridge and roadway leading to the facility.