CHAMBERS PEN, Hanover

Residents of Chambers Pen and its environs have welcomed the launch of a solid waste reduction programme being implemented by the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) and its western regional arm, Western Parks and Markets (WPM) Waste Management Limited, in their communities.

The pilot programme will be executed in the form of a compositing and plastic separation competition among farmers and community members.

Rubert Chammers, a resident of Chambers Pen for more than 64 years, is among those expressing gratitude for the initiative.

“I love it. This is the first time something like this has ever been established around here,” Chammers told the Jamaica Observer West.

Eighty-three-year-old Alfred James, another farmer, from the nearby community of Riley Pen, shared similar sentiments, as he lauded the NSWMA for the project.

The initiative also entails an education component where community members will be taught how to do composing.

Among the prizes up for grabs at the end of the competition in January are garden tools, chickens and chicken feed, a weekend for two at an all-inclusive hotel, garden tools, water tanks and a deep freezer.

Aretha McFarlane, operations director at the NSWMA, said the composting competition will be judged by competent groups such as representatives of the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), adding that the winners will be announced during a closing ceremony to be held in the community in January.

Other partnering agencies include the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS), the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC), the Social Development Commission (SDC) and the HEART/NSTA Trust.

McFarlane pointed out the programme being launched in the community is as a result of the proactive efforts of Member of Parliament for Hanover Western Tamika Davis.

The MP said the project was long in coming.

“We have been asking for a long time for them (NSWMA) to come and they are here today (last Thursday),” she stressed.

“So, they have done their part and it is up to us to do our part. And, if we all come on board, we can realise it, we can get it done, we can do it. It is not a very difficult thing. It is not something that will cause us to get any special training. It is what we do every day, but now we are going to do it properly. We are going to do it in a way that will help us, help our environment and help not only those who are here now, but those to come,” the MP told the gathering at the launch of the programme last Thursday.

And noting that garbage is something that will always be produced by living organisms, Audley Gordon, the executive director of the NSWMA, who also spoke at the launch, argued that composting can assist with the management of garbage.

“One of our priorities at the NSWMA is to reduce the amount of waste that is seen around the place or generated. We can do that in a number of ways [and] composting is one of the easiest ways to achieve this. When you compost, you achieve the reducing, the reusing and the recycling,” he explained.

Gordon said the Chambers Pen pilot programme will be a catalyst for Jamaica.

“You (Chambers Pen) are going to lead the way for Jamaica. That is why we bring the pilot up here because we understand some of the more dedicated people in Hanover live in this area. And so, we are bringing the composting launch up here to make sure that when we are through with this competition, the impact of it will spread right across the length and breadth of Jamaica and composting will become a habit. It will become something that people do, thanks to the energy that comes out of this little community,” stated Gordon.

Travoy Brown, SDC’s community development officer, urged residents to take advantage of the programme. He pointed out that in the rural community of Chambers Pen, some 57 per cent of residents utilise NSWMA to dispose of their garbage while a significant number of the others resort to the burning of their garbage.

Cameil Scott, the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS) Hanover parish manager, commended the NSWMA for the initiative, noting that “the control of waste is a challenge and if not managed properly could have an adverse effect on the well-being of humans and the environment”.

“The Jamaica Agricultural Society supports this project along with its farmers’ group within this area and see it as an opportunity to transform organic waste into valuable manure. This will not only save money or protect the environment but encourage the sustainable cultivation of wholesome fruits and vegetables as we grow what we eat and eat what we grow,” Scott argued.