"Management of E-waste in Guyana, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago" Project

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has allocated a proposed USD 270,000.00 towards the development of a technical project entitled “Management of E-waste in Guyana, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago” (Project: RG-T3726). This three (3) year, project was developed in collaboration with the Basel Convention Regional Centre for Training and Technology Transfer in the Caribbean (BCRC-Caribbean) with the main objectives being to:

• collect data on e-waste generation and composition, identification of stakeholders and of existing pathways of disposal and market conditions for the recovery of recyclable materials;
• develop of updated national e-waste assessment reports for the participating countries; and
• design a Sub Regional E Waste Management Plan, including training modules for the staff that will run the Plan and a business plan for the proposed management solution.

The last component of this project will involve the BCRC-Caribbean developing and disseminating project results and facilitating knowledge dissemination (public awareness and education elements) to a wider audience example, through social media graphics, posters, flyers, brochures, so as to aid the sustainability of the project’s initiatives.

The project will be executed through a collaborative effort between the BCRC Caribbean and the Institute of Waste Management of the University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences (BOKU in its German acronym) from Vienna, Austria. BOKU has extensive capacity, tools and resources for developing scientific methods and approaches as well as implementation plans for the management of collection and treatment systems of e-waste in a global and local context. The project will also enlist the skills of a National Project Assistant, as well as Legal and Environmental Economics experts.

The Regional Kick-off Meeting was hosted virtually on August 17, 2021 by the BCRC-Caribbean in collaboration with BOKU, with attendance by all the participating countries as well as the funding agency (IDB). The Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) delegation consisted of members from the Ministry of Planning and Development (MPD) and the Environmental Management Authority (EMA), as the National Focal Point and Competent Authority, respectively. The MPD chairs the project’s now established National Working Group and was represented at the meeting by Ms. Keima Gardiner, Waste Management Specialist and Ms. Tushara Maharaj, Environmental Engineering Specialist.

Trinidad and Tobago’s National Inception Meeting to officially initiate in-country activities is carded to be held in November, 2021.