MONA Preparatory School (MPS), in partnership with MPS Parent-Teacher Association (PTA), has relaunched its plastic bottle recycling programme as a part of its Green School Initiative.

This is being undertaken with support from Recycling Partners of Jamaica (RPJ).

Representatives of RPJ attended MPS’s morning devotion last Thursday and handed over three bottle-shaped recycling cages, uniquely crafted specifically for disposing of plastic bottles. The plastic bottles collected by the school will later be processed for shipping overseas for recycling.

MPS, which has a population of more than 500 students, had previously initiated a plastic bottle recycling programme which was suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic, when schools shifted to online learning.

“We are extremely excited to be restarting the plastic bottle recycling programme. We feel the need to do our part in ensuring a clean and healthy environment, and we love the fact that this is a good way to teach young minds about the importance of taking care of the environment,” said Citrine Dixon, principal of MPS.

According to PTA President Dr Louis-Ray Harris, “The Mona Prep PTA is excited about this opportunity to partner with the school to increase awareness of the importance of recycling. We know that habits are formed over time, and the hope is that this recycling thrust will help our students to understand the link between good waste management and responsible citizenship.”

This initiative came days ahead of International Coastal Cleanup Day last Saturday.

According to Jamaica’s 2022 national coastal clean-up report, plastic bottles were the number one item collected from the coast last year, representing 36 per cent of the total waste collected on that day.