Trinidad and Tobago gets a National Waste Recycling Policy!

In February 2015, the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago has approved the National Waste Recycling Policy (NWRP).   

 

Taking into consideration existing overarching policies such as the National Integrated Waste Management Policy and the National Environmental Policy, the purpose of the NWRP is to establish an appropriate legislative, administrative and institutional framework for waste reduction and recycling.  

 

The goal of the Policy is to reduce waste requiring final disposal and thereby minimise the impact of waste on human health and the environment as well as improve resource use efficiency.

 

  To access and download the Policy, click on the link below:

• National Waste Recycling Policy

 

Implementing the Green Government Policy

The official Green Government Policy (GGP), which was approved in 2011, emphasizes the need for conserving domestic resources and reducing pollution locally. More specifically, it seeks to minimize the adverse effects of Government's operations on the environment. It is ultimately envisioned that the principles set out in this Policy will be integrated into the routine operations of the government.

 

In support of the GGP, the Environmental Policy and Planning Division (EPPD) has piloted several initiatives aimed at integrating some of the Policy's elements into our everyday operations. Some of these initiatives include the collection and recycling plastic and glass bottles, styrofoam containers as well as used paper, newspapers, cardboard and ink cartridges. The recycling drive was recently formalized through the procurement and installation of recycling bins at our offices in San Juan.

A composter (as seen below) was also installed for collection of organic wastes. Composting organic materials helps to reduce the volume of solid waste entering the landfills and in the long run, reduces the production of methane and leachate formulation in the landfills. 

In conjunction with these initiatives, the EPPD along with representatives from the Green Fund and the Basel Regional Coordinating Centre, has established a Committee to evaluate and record the success of these initiatives for use by other Government offices and agencies. The Committee is also charged with investigating other mechanisms through which the policy can be actualized. 

EPPD continues to celebrate WED 2012!

World Environment Day (WED) is an annual event held on June 5, aimed at being the biggest, most widely celebrated international day for positive environmental action. 

WED activities take place all year around and encourages global participation. In commemoration of World Environment Day 2012, the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, as the national focal point for several Environmental Conventions, initiated several activities in various schools located within the vicinity of the EPPD’s El Socorro Offices. 

The EPPD, in partnership with Recycling in Motion (RIM), the project facilitator, aimed to raise the awareness of environmentally sustainable habits in school populations by helping them to reduce some of the municipal waste they create. In this regard, the Ministry initiated plastic recycling programmes in several schools. 

EPPD staff members with students of the El Socorro Hindu School

The importance of recycling was also impressed upon students by an interactive presentation session by Ms Nalini Sooklal, Waste Management Specialist of the EPPD. Students were informed that recycling activities can reduce the need for raw materials used to produce new products; reduce the amounts of waste going into our landfills and also reduce energy consumption, thereby preserving natural resources for the future.

Over a three day period spanning September 26-28, 2012, the El Socorro Hindu, El Socorro North Government and El Socorro South Government primary schools as well as the Barataria South Secondary School launched their plastic recycling endeavours, which was met with great enthusiasm from both staff and students alike. The El Socorro Islamia TIA School was also included in the exercise and a Green Space initiative was pioneered at this school. This was aimed at inculcating into students an appreciation of the intrinsic values of green spaces whilst introducing to them basic cultivation practices.

Overall, it is hoped that these initiatives would not only have tangible environmental benefits but also create environmentally aware and responsible young citizens as well.

The excited faces of students from the El Socorro North Government School

ICC 2012.. Cleaning up the coasts!

The International Coastal Clean-up (ICC) is a worldwide annual one-day volunteer event coordinated by the Ocean Conservancy geared toward pollution clean-up and pollution prevention. Since 1985, this event has become the world’s largest volunteer effort for ocean health. Nearly nine million volunteers from 152 countries and locations have cleaned 145 million pounds of trash from the shores of lakes, streams, rivers, and the ocean on just one day each year. For more than a quarter of a century, volunteers with the ICC have picked up everything imaginable along the world's shorelines: cigarette butts, food wrappers, and even the proverbial kitchen sink.

Trinidad and Tobago has historically supported the International Coastal Clean-up endeavour of the Ocean Conservancy for many years, with the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources being a major sponsor. The date for this year’s event was Saturday September 15th, 2012. The various Divisions and Agencies of the Ministry all generously participated at various beaches around the country:

• Environmental Policy and Planning Division (EPPD) and Green Fund – Harts Cut Bay, Chaguaramas
• Environmental Management Authority (EMA) – Manzanilla Beach, Manzanilla
• Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) – Marianna’s Bay, Blanchisseuse

Senator the Honourable Mr Ganga Singh participating in the coastal clean-up exercise at Harts Cut Bay, Chaguaramas

The Honourable Minister of the Environment and Water Resources Ganga Singh, a champion for the cause, also actively participated in the event at the Hart’s Cut venue with staffs of the EPPD, MEAU and Green Fund Executing Unit. The Ministry wishes to kindly acknowledge and thank the local organizer of the event, the Caribbean Network for Integrated Rural Development (CNIRD), all sponsors and site captains, and all the volunteers who participated in making this event such a huge success.

Hopefully these heaps will be smaller next year!

1st LBS STAC Meeting

The First Meeting of the Scientific, Technical and Advisory Committee (STAC) to the Protocol Concerning Pollution from Land-based Sources (LBS) and Activities in the Wider Caribbean Region (LBS Protocol) was held from June 5 - 7, 2012 in Oranjestad, Aruba.    

Historically, this was the first technical meeting of national experts following the entry into force of the LBS Protocol in August 2010. This was indeed a key meeting for Trinidad and Tobago as we currently host one of the treaty's Regional Activity Centres (RAC) at the Institute of Marine Affairs (IMA). Trinidad and Tobago also served as a Vice Chair at this meeting through Ms Nalini Sooklal.

Trinidad and Tobago's delegation at this inaugural meeting comprised:

• Dr Amoy Lum Kong, Director of the Institute of Marine Affairs (IMA)
• Dr Daryl Banjoo, Officer in Charge/Senior Research Officer, Marine Chemistry Department, IMA
• Ms Nalini Sooklal, Waste Management Specialist, MEAU

Several objectives were met for this STAC meeting, including the evaluation of projects and activities implemented by the Secretariat and the LBS RACs within the Assessment and Management of Environmental Pollution (AMEP) sub-programme during the period 2010-2012. There was also a review of the status of ratification and/or implementation of the LBS Protocol in member countries. In these discussions, the role of the IMA as a RAC was highlighted and the commitment made by T&T to continue to support the Secretariat in this capacity as we move forward. 

Also at this technical meeting, the AMEP Workplan and Budget for the 2013-2014 Biennium was developed and finalized for approval by the 1st Conference of Parties to the LBS Protocol in October 2012. 

For further details on the happenings at the meeting, please visit: http://www.cep.unep.org/meetings-events/1st-lbs-stac