MEGJC Hosts Downtown Kingston Roadshow to Promote Plastic-free Summer Campaign

Scores of residents, shoppers and passersby in downtown Kingston were encouraged to “refuse, reduce, reuse and recycle” plastics as the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation (MEGJC) hosted its Plastic Free Summer: Downtown Roadshow.

The one-day event, held at the St. William Grant Park on Thursday (July 31), was a Local Education Drive (LED) staged as part of the Ministry’s Plastic Free Summer campaign, under the theme – ‘Break Up With Plastic’.

The roadshow’s activities included Ministry teams distributing flyers that highlighted the environmental hazards of single-use plastics and their potential health risks, including cancer, fertility complications, toxic poisoning, and respiratory issues.

The teams also administered questionnaires to gauge public awareness and sentiment regarding the Government’s ban on single-use plastics.

In her remarks, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Arlene Williams, urged attendees to pay close attention to the message being shared.

“Plastic… takes many, many years to disintegrate… if it does. Our marine life is being affected by plastic. Our very existence is being affected by plastic. So the Ministry is pushing the elimination of plastic [through] our campaign. We are pushing reuse, reduce, refuse, and recycle. So, if you don’t remember anything, just remember, refuse, reduce, reuse, and recycle,” she said.

Meanwhile, a National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) team, comprising Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Leonard Francis, and Public Education and Corporate Communications Manager, Angela Hamilton, responded to frequently asked questions about the environmental and health hazards of single-use plastics.

Other partners involved in the day’s activities included the Jamaica Environment Trust (JET), which donated 10 recycling bins to Kingston High School and provided paper boxes to food vendors; Alter Eco, a manufacturer of sustainable food utensils, demonstrated the durability of its products; and the GraceKennedy Foundation which

shared insights into its work through the Kingston Harbour Cleanup Project.

One audience member, Yvette Wizzard, emphasised the importance of the public education on plastics , noting that much more needs to be done to address the pollution caused by their use.

When asked how she contributes to mitigating the environmental impact of single-use plastics, Ms. Wizzard shared that she participates in recycling efforts.

“I sell like juices and stuff like that. So what I do is, anywhere I see the plastic bottles and stuff like that, I always gather them and tie them into one container so they can be disposed of,” she said.

Ms. Wizzard also champions the Government’s ban on plastic, stating, “anything to help with our environment, from it is a positive one, we will work with it.”

The Plastic-Free Summer Campaign is an extension of the global Plastic Free July initiative.

It runs from July to August with the aim of raising public awareness and promoting behavioural change regarding single-use plastics.

The campaign also coincides with the final stage of Phase 4 of the Government’s ban on single-use plastics, which came into effect on July 1, 2025.

This phase targets personal care and cosmetic products containing intentionally added microplastics or microbeads.