WITH the livelihoods of many residents in western Jamaica disrupted by the passage of Hurricane Melissa, Recycling Partners of Jamaica General Manager Gairy Taylor says debris left in the storm’s aftermath — particularly plastic bottles — has become a lifeline for many as residents recycle the waste to supplement their income.

Taylor noted that last December the company recorded a significant increase in plastic collections, reversing an earlier decline in volumes from western parishes including St Elizabeth, Westmoreland, Hanover, Trelawny, and St James.

“We are more in the communities now. We are talking to our collectors down there, and they have been very, very active because, of course, a lot of them are without employment so they are using the proceeds and the bottles to actually subsidise not only their meals, but their livelihoods,” said Taylor.

He added that, “If it’s farmers, they are using the proceeds from the bottles to fix their irrigation systems. If they own a little shop, they are using it to stock the shop, so we find a lot of that has been happening…We have farmers who use it to buy tanks, irrigation systems, pesticides, fertilisers. They are using the money they get from the bottles to help in what they do on a daily basis.”

Taylor shared that there is much excitement among residents about the possibilities that come with plastic collection and recycling, with them often stopping workers in the streets to share testimonials about the earning potential of recycling.

“When they see us out on the road they will say, ‘Mr Recycling, you know, recycling makes me look so good. I buy my weave, and I buy my this.’ We get the testimonies all the time from persons who are using it to subsidise their income,” he told the Jamaica Observer during last week’s Monday Exchange.

Taylor shared that the company collected 1.61 million pounds of plastic last December.

“The most we have ever done per month is 1.7 million pounds — and that was in July — so December was our second highest in the history of the organisation…From April to December we have collected over 14 million pounds of plastic; we have removed it from the environment. We try to get 100 per cent to recycling companies but on a timing issue, 90 per cent goes to making shirts, shoes, other plastic products and so forth,” said the general manager.

He said he welcomes the activity taking place in the western parishes, noting that even before the storm, the parishes contributed.

“The west is about — not including Manchester — but like St Elizabeth, Westmoreland, Hanover, Trelawny, and St James, those five parishes are 15 per cent of our total collection. When you add in Manchester, which is also affected, it’s about 18 per cent of what we collect on a monthly basis. And per month, we are doing about 1.6 million pounds of plastic, so you can see the impact that those six parishes have on what we do on a daily basis,” said Taylor.

He noted that the number of collectors plus payouts to collectors, in general, has seen a massive increase over the last few years.

“Five years ago we were paying out about $5 million a month to collectors. Fast-forward three years, we are paying out close to $30 million a month to persons who are collecting plastic bottles — so you see a six-time growth in persons who are using it to subsidise their incomes,” he told the Sunday Observer.

Taylor noted that while the devastation from the hurricane was great, the company will continue its mission of caring for the environment and collectors as they expand.

“We are a company that cares, not only for our environment but for our staff and for our collectors. We have over 6,000 people who collect bottles on our behalf; that is up from 1,500 three years ago, so 6,000 persons now. We have 630 schools registered in our programme, so we care. We care about the environment, we care about our collectors, we care about our schools. We definitely care,” said Taylor.

Recycling Partners of Jamaica, one of the sustainability partners for the 2026 Sagicor Sigma Corporate Run, has committed to collecting all plastic waste after the February 15 race.