Kingston, Jamaica – The GraceKennedy Foundation (GKF) has announced that it is collaborating with The Ocean Cleanup, and Clean Harbours Jamaica (CHJ) Limited to implement a pilot project to prevent waste from entering the Kingston Harbour.

The project between GKF, CHJ and the Dutch non-profit environmental organisation whose mission is to rid the oceans of plastic, involves the installation of an Interceptor Barrer to trap debris that flows from Kingston’s gullies into the Harbour.

Through its local partner and operator, CHJ, The Ocean Cleanup has fitted Interceptor Barriers at three of the 11 gullies that feed into the Harbour – Kingston Pen Gully, Barnes Gully and Rae Town Gully – to trap the waste.  Debris will be removed from the Interceptor Barriers by The Ocean Cleanup’s Interceptor Tender – a small, self-propelled barge. Debris will then be transported to an offloading site for sorting and proper disposal.

In a release, The GKF says it is optimistic about this latest initiative to address the solid waste pollution challenges faced in the Kingston Harbour. Caroline Mahfood, CEO of GKF noted that “this effort is expected to eventually extract an estimated 900 metric tons of waste a year, once installations in all 11 gullies have been completed” and that GFK is “pleased to help facilitate The Ocean Cleanup and CHJ in achieving this mammoth task.”

“This partnership is very much aligned with the theme of our 2019 GK annual lecture which explored bringing back the former glory of the Kingston Harbour, as it was in the 1950s and 1960s,” Mahfood continued. “We look forward to the day when we can see the natural environment of our beautiful Harbour restored and re-establish it as a key contributor to Jamaican food security and an exemplar of sustainable growth.”

 Acknowledging the economic importance of the Kingston Harbour as a regional transhipment hub with many people depending directly and indirectly on it and its resources for their survival, Mahfood shared that for years, the GKF-funded James S Moss-Solomon Sr Chair in Environmental Studies at The University of the West Indies and Professor Mona Webber carried out extensive research on the Harbour’s natural environment and has lamented the deterioration of the natural resource over many decades. 

Dr Fred Kennedy, GKF Chairman, called the new initiative a game-changer for the Foundation in its role as the project’s facilitator. He noted that the GraceKennedy Group remains dedicated to the preservation and development of the Harbour, which is key to the survival and growth of the surrounding communities.  

Through their partnership with The Ocean Cleanup and CHJ, GKF aims to encourage and facilitate sustainable investment in a clean Kingston Harbour.

The new project is being funded by the Benioff Foundation and The Ocean Cleanup.