Chairman of Recycling Partners of Jamaica Ltd (RPJ), Dr Damien King, is hailing its new venture with Reggae Sumfest as a “new beginning”. RPJ is Jamaica’s designated national recycling entity.

“It is just the beginning of what we hope will be a close relationship with the entertainment industry,” King told the Jamaica Observer’s Splash. “It is incredible to see events like Reggae Sumfest grow to new heights, but we must be mindful of the environmental impact, which is why RPJ deemed this a great opportunity. Events like Reggae Sumfest generate a large quantity of recyclable material and it would be a shame to let that go to waste,” he continued.

Reggae Sumfest is slated to be held from July 14 to 20 in Montego Bay. The two last evenings culminate with concerts at Catherine Hall Entertainment Centre.

As part of the partnership, RPJ will provide branded bins and a clean-up crew on nights one and two. They will also provide clean-up services for the week leading up to the finale.

This year, the concert nights are expected to attract more than 18,000 patrons. The RPJ predicts that such a large crowd should generate approximately 10,000 pounds of garbage.

Josef Bogdanovich, Reggae Sumfest’s principal and CEO of Downsound Entertainment, welcomed the partnership with RPJ.

“It is essential that we remain mindful of how we affect the environment around us, and ensure that we expand in a sustainable manner, especially more so now as we try and implement measures to protect our planet, and find creative ways to recycle plastic. This is just the beginning of what I expect will be a long and fruitful partnership,” he said.

This is the 27th anniversary of Reggae Sumfest. Organisers have expanded the event, which also includes an All-White Blitz party, a Sound System Explosion and beach party.

This year’s headliners include Beres Hammond, Buju Banton, Chronixx, Spice, Dalton Harris, Beenie Man, Bounty Killer, Protoje, Govana, Dexta Daps, Agent Sasco, Etana and Jah9.