MONTEGO BAY, St James — The Global Services Association of Jamaica (GSAJ) has raised concern about delays in the full recovery of business process outsourcing (BPO) facilities damaged by Hurricane Melissa, with the slow and costly disposal of electronic waste being a major obstacle.

The issue was raised last week during a meeting of executives of the GSAJ and minister of state in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce Delano Seiveright.

GSAJ director Gloria Henry, who is also vice-president for BPO and logistics in charge of Special Economic Zones at the Port Authority of Jamaica, pointed out that equipment damaged when the Category 5 Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica on October 28, 2025, must go through a rigorous and highly regulated process before it can be discarded.

“That process really has moved very slowly and somewhat retarded our rebuilding, because we have to get rid of the e-waste. As you know, they came in duty free, and we have to account for that. And that process has really kind of slowed down some of the rebuilding process. We’re hoping that we can move forward. And minister [Seiveright] is here, and I’m sure he will help us, as he has with everything else, to get the e-waste out of the building so that we can clean up and rebuild and restart our operations where those spaces have been damaged,” said Henry.

She described the disposal system for e-waste as overly complex and expensive.

“So e-waste is a very convoluted process. You wouldn’t believe that it’s more convoluted to get rid of waste than to bring in the equipment into Jamaica. Because we have to go through so many stages, and only one entity is now certified to dispose of that. So we have to wait on the availability of that entity to come in and assess and, mark you it is not free. It’s very expensive, very, very expensive, to dispose of one computer.

“So we have to wait on that. We have to go through the bureaucratic approval process. That has taken time, and that really has helped delay some of the rebuilding effort,” added Henry.

She further explained that much of the equipment could not be salvaged due to flood damage and collapsed roofs.

“When places flooded and the computers got damaged, some of those were damaged beyond repair. When roofs collapsed, some of those computers got damaged. So we have to dispose of those. They can’t be reused,” noted Henry.

The BPO sector, which employs more than 50,000 people, remains one of the Jamaica’s fastest-growing industries despite suffering widespread disruption damage during the passage of Hurricane Melissa, with several facilities experiencing flooding and structural damage.

According to Henry, while most affected sites have undergone substantial repairs and are back online, the process has not been as smooth as anticipated.

“So most of the sites that were damaged by Melissa — whether it’s Barnett Tech Park, Casmara, Bioprist, free zone private spaces like itel BPO — most of them have gone through substantial repairs and are back online. There are some areas that are still being worked on. We have had some delays, and I wouldn’t be Gloria if I didn’t call out some of those challenges that we have had,” said Henry.

Seiveright acknowledged the concerns, as he agreed that the process to dispose of e-waste is complex but he stressed the need to maintain environmental standards, “and e-waste is a challenge globally, frankly speaking. Some countries are looser, some are more regulated and stricter when it comes to the standards”.

He noted that companies operating in Jamaica’s global digital services space are required to meet not only local laws but also international regulations.

“These are respectable companies that want to abide by the law at all times. Others would probably have gotten rid of the waste in other ways, but because these are companies that have to abide by not just Jamaican laws, but also by international standards and regulations, because it is a multinational space, it is a global space, they have to abide by the rules,” said Seiveright.

The minister of state indicated that the Government is open to reviewing the process, especially in light of post-hurricane realities.

“What we could do for sure is to probably consult further with our environmental authorities and see how best we can probably ease the process going forward, especially given the unique challenges of post-hurricane issues. So that’s something we will look at,” added Seiveright.

Meanwhile, president of GSAJ Wayne Sinclair welcomed the Government’s support of the sector and proposed promotional assistance to help maintain Jamaica’s competitiveness in the global marketplace.

Sinclair said the industry has rebounded strongly following the impact of Hurricane Melissa, with most operations restored within three months. He added that Government-led promotion will help signal to international partners that Jamaica is back in business, reinforce confidence in the sector, and support continued growth in the years ahead.

Minister of state in the Ministry of Industry, Investment, and Commerce Delano Seiveright (second right) and Gloria Henry (centre), vice-president BPO & Logistics, Port Authority of Jamaica; take time out of a post-Melissa tour of business entities to snap a picture with members of the management team of BPO company Concentrix (from left) Pablo Rojas Morales, senior director, real estate; Ivan Estevez, senior manager, facility management; and Jada Fennell, senior supervisor, facility management.