NIA CHARLESTOWN, NEVIS – The Nevis Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) is preparing to ship its fourth container of recyclable plastics off-island, marking another milestone in the Nevis Island Administration’s (NIA) efforts to improve waste management, promote recycling and protect the environment.
On Thursday, October 08, Minister of Health, the Honourable Senator Jahnel Nisbett, was present for the loading of the 40-foot container at the Recycling Facility at the Government’s landfill at Long Point. She expressed appreciation to the public for its positive response to the Administration’s recycling initiatives and encouraged residents to continue participating in the programme.
“We’re here to witness the shipping out of yet another container full of plastic recyclable materials that have been baled here at the Nevis Solid Waste Management Authority, and we’re really proud of this accomplishment. This is the fourth container that we’ll be shipping out here from Nevis, and this will be going to the Dominican Republic.
“This project is really helping to reduce the amount of waste here on the island as well as giving new life to these materials. So we continue to encourage individuals to reuse and reduce, but when you do use, please recycle. This is the end product that we’re shipping out, and we are hopeful that these can definitely be turned into something useful, for another item that we can use in our daily life,” she said.
Senator Nisbett also highlighted the practical benefits of recycling, noting that the pink shirts worn by members of the group were each made from 12 recycled plastic bottles, demonstrating how discarded materials can be repurposed into useful products.
The recycling initiative is being undertaken in collaboration with the Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan) as part of a wider project across the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis. His Excellency Edward Ling-Wen Tao, Ambassador of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to St. Kitts and Nevis, was present for the loading of the container.
“I’m very happy to be here with Minister Nisbett and all the friends from Nevis for our latest shipment of collected plastic from Nevis. I think it’s been five years since our bilateral programme has been in progress and I’m happy to see a lot of tangible results coming out from both St. Kitts and Nevis.
“Now we have established the collection stations for different communities and we have already educated the public about the importance of recycling your plastics and so I’m very pleased to see a big result, a very good result here which is the eleventh overall shipment of plastics out of St. Kitts and Nevis. I urge all the public to continue your recycling practice, make it a daily habit and reduce the garbage on the island, which is good for your generation and the generations to come,” he said.
The container is scheduled to leave Nevis next week. Residents are encouraged to follow the NSWMA’s social media platforms for updates on the recycling collection schedule for their respective communities and to ensure that recyclable plastics are properly sorted and prepared for collection.
