MONTEGO BAY, St James — With a number of major tourism players now part of the National Solid Waste Management Authority’s (NSWMA) Pass the Broom initiative, the agency’s Executive Director Audley Gordon is hoping others will get involved.

“I can’t tell you how elated we are to see Sandals on board, SeaGarden on board, RIU on board, and Coral Spring on board — and they are doing their part,” Gordon said Tuesday during a clean-up of Montego Bay’s Whitehouse community.

He thanked those who turned out for the event and have partnered with NSWMA on Pass the Broom.

“I trust that with their efforts this morning, it will motivate others in the sector. [And] not just the tourism sector because while we celebrate our tourism heroes, while we celebrate the effort, we know that this is just a small part of the Jamaican family,” said the NSWMA boss.

“We want other players in the private sector to be out too, and show that cleaning up is cool and it is not something that should be left for others,” Gordon declared.

Launched on March 27, the NSWMA’s Pass the Broom initiative is geared towards boosting stakeholder involvement in cleaning their surroundings, thus decreasing their reliance on the State agency. There is also a push to promote civic pride across the country, with a focus on community involvement in keeping public spaces clean.

“The 4,000 men and women of the NSWMA cannot, on their own, keep Jamaica clean if the other three million people decide to dirty it up. So we have to get them to be a part of the whole programme, to get them to play their part,” Gordon insisted.

On Tuesday, armed with bags, gloves, hats and other equipment, more than 100 volunteers from four hotels joined NSWMA staff in clearing waste from a section of road near Sangster International Airport.

Members of the Sandals Environment Team and Sandals Foundation were among those working.

“This is our home, this is our stretch, and we are so excited to be here today. For quite a long time we’ve talked about the waste that is on Kent Avenue and all the illegal dump sites that are here. It’s really an eyesore,” remarked Regional Public Relations Manager Rochelle Forbes-Reid.

She works out of Sandals Montego Bay, which is on the stretch of road cleaned Tuesday.

“We want to encourage Jamaicans that not only the NSWMA is responsible for this waste, we all are. From throwing things out of your car window to just dumping things in the gullies, throwing things in the gutters, it takes each and every one of us [to stop doing these things and keep the environment clean]. This is something that we are passionate about and we are asking each Jamaican to help us make this Jamaica beautiful — not for now but for the future,” Forbes-Reid said.

Vice-president of sales, marketing and admin at SeaGarden Beach Resort, Tricia-Ann Bicarie also spoke of the importance of keeping the initiative going.

“I am hoping that this will be not just a today activity but [that] we can partner again throughout the year to ensure that we help the community to maintain the standards that we are establishing here today,” she declared.

Bicarie pointed to the project’s importance to both locals and visitors.

“When they come here, they want to know that the space they are coming is clean. Nobody wants to come and swim on a beach and you get a dirty plastic bag in your face or on the sand itself you are seeing garbage. It has no place there,” she said.