THE community of Central Village, located off Nelson Mandela Highway on the approach to Spanish Town in St Catherine, has been highly commended, by no less than the World Bank, for effective solid waste management practices.

So much so that the bank initiated a video project, featuring the community’s effort, which will serve as a model for other areas and a best practice for future projects. It was filmed earlier this year and was posted on popular video-sharing site YouTube a week ago.

“A community once characterised by illegal dumping, accumulation of waste in gullies, drains and on the streets, rodent infestation, poor sanitation, and burning of waste, has now been transformed into a clean and beautiful environment,”

environment coordinator at the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) Dr Milton Clarke said of Central Village.

“Recycling of plastic bottles is a common activity, collection of garbage is frequent and timely, the environment clubs and wardens are very active,

landscaping and gardening are widespread, and the community has a renewed sense of pride in their surroundings,” Clarke added.

Central Village was one of 12 inner-city communities in Kingston and St Andrew, St Catherine, Clarendon, and St James to have participated in a waste management project implemented by JSIF through a loan from the World Bank to the Government of Jamaica under the Inner-City Basic Services Project.

The interventions, aimed at alleviating the ills associated with improper waste management, included the provision of one compactor truck and 55 skips to the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NWSMA),

the construction of skip enclosures in each community, the gazetting of 36 community residents as environmental wardens and the clean-up and beautification of the communities.

All 12 communities made important strides, but Central Village’s performance was said to be “outstanding”.

The community started a recycling programme, established community parks, and initiated beautification projects, without JSIF’s intervention. It was adjudged “the cleanest and most responsive to the solid waste management intervention”.

“The change was most evident in Central Village,” JSIF said.

The video, titled Central Village Jamaica, Cleaning Up An Inner- City Community, is 5:33 seconds long and features scenes and residents of Central Village, Federal Gardens and some nonproject communities such as Majesty Gardens; as well as excerpts of interviews and discussions with stakeholders including JSIF, the NSWMA and the Central Village Benevolent Association (CVBA).

It highlighted the transformation which resulted from the implementation of the solid waste management programme in the community, and celebrates the work done in the community, as indicated by scenes of residents enjoying a cleaner, well-ordered community, children playing games and youth engaged in sporting activities.

President of the CVBA Dwight Peckoo noted that there has been a reduction in crime in the community since the implementation of the project and attributed it to “the improved cleanliness of the environment”.

The association and Environment clubs have been leading efforts in recycling, composting, development of school gardens, and promotion of environmental awareness.

Commending the residents for their “efficient use of recycling and garbage disposal practices”, Clarke said: “This is what can be achieved when communities work along with agencies and stakeholders to improve their surroundings”.

According to data from JSIF, Central Village comprises over 5,500 residents, almost half of whom are under age 25. It is made up of four commuities — Andrews Lane, Little Lane, Big Lane, and Detroit. The video can be found at www.youtube.com/user/ JSIFJamaica.