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NSWMA to Extend E-Waste Pilot Collection Project

By: , September 28, 2015

The Key Point:

The National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) will be extending its e-waste pilot collection project to October 25.
NSWMA to Extend E-Waste Pilot Collection Project
The National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) will be extending its e-waste pilot collection project to October 25.

The Facts

  • The agency commenced the pilot in March 2015 to help Jamaicans dispose of their electronic waste, such as old computers, Central Processing Units (CPUs), mobile phones, printers, monitors, laptops, keyboards, mouse, chargers, and cables.
  • But according to Community Relations Manager, Shauna Guthrie, there has been overwhelmingly high public request for its extension, based on the increased volume of materials generated each month.

The Full Story

The National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) will be extending its e-waste pilot collection project to October 25.

The agency commenced the pilot in March 2015 to help Jamaicans dispose of their electronic waste, such as old computers, Central Processing Units (CPUs), mobile phones, printers, monitors, laptops, keyboards, mouse, chargers, and cables.

But according to Community Relations Manager, Shauna Guthrie, there has been overwhelmingly high public request for its extension, based on the increased volume of materials generated each month.

She said the project currently targets residential collections in communities such Duhaney Park, Patrick City, and Harbour View in St. Andrew, and Hellshire, Angels phases one and two, and Angels Grove in St. Catherine.

She assured, however, that other areas will also benefit under the project, adding that at the end of the pilot the NSWMA will do an inventory of the collections, to determine how to treat with these.

“There is value in (all) e-waste (collected). Another company or third party can come and get it, or it could be a case where it is exported, or your company takes out some things from the make-up of the electronics, to be used,” she outlined.

Ms. Guthrie, however, voiced concern about the manner in which some persons dispose of their e-waste, noting that often these materials are placed with other solid waste for collection by the NSWMA’s staff and contractors, which, she stressed, is not recommended.

Ms. Guthrie pointed out that if these items are deposited with regular solid waste at the landfills, over time, they can become hazardous for the health of persons working at the disposal sites, due to the chemical composition of these elements.

In this regard, while encouraging householders to separate the materials, she has also reassured that the NSWMA remains committed to ensuring that the country’s waste is properly collected and safely disposed of.

Ms. Guthrie pointed out that the e-waste project’s long term goal is to, “develop a strategy to address end of use electronic waste, and to see how best the country deals with it.”

Persons outside of the six communities involved in the pilot project can drop off their e-waste at collection stations located at the NSWMA head office, 61A Half-Way Tree Road, Kingston 10; Dermason Plaza, Independence City, Portmore, and King Street in Spanish Town (next to the fire station), in St. Catherine.

Last Updated: September 28, 2015

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