164 Persons Trained As Environmental Wardens

One hundred and sixty four persons have completed training as Environmental Wardens, through the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) Integrated Community Development Project (ICDP).

The wardens were presented with their certificates at a graduation ceremony, held on September 30, at the Trench Town Multi-Purpose Centre, in Kingston.

Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Noel Arscott, who addressed the ceremony, said the skills and attitudes the graduates have gained from the training should make them effective Environmental Wardens.

“Through your efforts, the objectives of the NSWMA Act and regulations will be met on the ground and at the community level,” he said.

Meanwhile, Board Chairman of JSIF, Colin Bullock, charged the graduates to put their training into practice. “How you deal with waste in your own communities will help us chart the way forward in this very critical area of national life,” he told the graduates.

“It is up to you to make this pilot project work. You are now gazetted officers empowered by law in the enforcement of the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) Act and regulations,” he added.

The training, which took place over a three-day period, saw persons from 21 communities in Kingston, St. Andrew, Clarendon and St. Catherine being trained in Sustainable Solid Waste Management Practices; Solid Waste Management Regulation; National Environmental Regulation and Sustainable Development; Public Health; and Fire Safety and Emergency Management.

The ICDP aims to strengthen community involvement in environmental issues impacting the country, and the main objectives are to improve environmental health; and heighten awareness in selected communities, through capacity building in solid waste management.

Projected to last three years, the Environmental Wardens programme is estimated to cost $100 million, funded by the World Bank.

The programme is implemented through the Public Education and Enforcement Department of the NSWMA, working with JSIF, the Ministry of Health, the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), the Jamaica Fire Brigade and the Dispute Resolution Foundation.

Also attending the ceremony were: Minister of Transport, Works and Housing and Member of Parliament for Southern St. Andrew, Dr. the Hon. Omar Davies; Member of Parliament for Central St. Catherine, Olivia “Babsy” Grange; Member of Parliament for Western Kingston, Desmond McKenzie; and World Bank Country Representative, Galina Sotirova.