Citizens Urged to Practise Proper Waste Management on Labour Day

Citizens are being encouraged to practise proper waste management as they participate in various activities on Labour Day, Tuesday, May 23.

This urging comes from Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange, who emphasises that “within all of that (Labour Day activities), we have to think of a clean environment and how we must dispose of our waste”.

She was speaking during a recent Jamaica Information Service (JIS) ‘Think Tank’, at the agency’s head office in Kingston.

Ms. Grange said having a healthy environment is very important and, as such, urges citizens to play their part in ensuring a clean Jamaica.

“I want to encourage every man and woman in the nook and crannies of Jamaica, on Labour Day, [to] find a way to clean up your space. Find a way to create a cleaner, healthier environment and make a commitment to continue to do that, not just on Labour Day but going forward every day,” she added.

Meanwhile, in an interview with JIS News, Executive Director, National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA), Audley Gordon, encouraged citizens to structure their activities in a manner that enables them to make the necessary garbage disposal arrangements.

“We know that a lot of people take pride in their community, in their home and I know several communities combine their efforts and they do cleanup for Labour Day and then they have refreshments… that’s a nice community vibe,” he noted.

“We encourage that. But we want to know beforehand what is expected of us, so that we don’t, at the end of the day, end up with a whole heap of mini dumps in the communities and the roadways” Mr. Gordon emphasised.

He also encouraged citizens to containerise their garbage, noting that there are several negative consequences when this is scattered or scraped up and left on the sidewalk.

“If the rain comes, those scattered debris will find their way into the drains, gullies, [and] culverts to clog them up [and] cause flooding, [resulting in] damaged properties and loss of life,” Mr. Gordon stressed.

“So, please don’t put the loose garbage out. Box it up, bag it up and put it [together] properly – containerise it,” he added.

Persons are asked to register their Labour Day projects via the online registration form on the JIS website, www.jis.gov.jm.

Labour Day will be observed under the theme ‘Plant a Tree for Life – Promoting Climate Change Mitigation, Food Security and Road Safety’.