NSWMA Head Urges Civic Pride In Keeping Country Clean

The Executive Director of the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA), Audley Gordon, is calling for a shift in culture and a restoration of civic pride where every Jamaican recognises and accepts their role in keeping the country clean.

Speaking with JIS News recently, Mr. Gordon said that a targeted approach could be beneficial, starting in the home and having more public education.

“I would say the first thing [is] – teach your children, when they are finished eating, let them walk to that bin and put it [food scraps] in there. Once they begin to practise that, that becomes a habit.

So, the discipline of knowing that the rubbish, the garbage, the refuse must go into the bin will start,” Mr. Gordon advised.

He said that a similar sense of responsibility must be taught in schools, so that the “child that is going to basic school, to primary school, to prep school must know that they have a stake in this clean Jamaica campaign. They must be taught also”.

Noting that older generations benefited from constant reinforcement of these habits at home and in school in the form of songs, mnemonics and practice and reward, Mr. Gordon contended that revisiting those practices could result in the positive culture change that is desired.

“Cultures don’t change overnight. To change a culture, we have to work at it in a sustained way with a public education campaign that is robust, deliberate, targeted, and it has to be sustained. It will take some money but, in the end, it will be a win-win for the country. We didn’t get here overnight, as we will not leave here overnight, but it is a task that we should tackle as a country,” Mr. Gordon said.

The NSWMA Executive Director also mentioned that an important area of focus is that of highway litter.

The agency clears garbage from along the country’s highways for the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo), and Mr. Gordon said that the amount collected “increases from collection to collection”.

“Nobody lives along a lot of those places, but you see the travel waste, nonetheless, because people toss things through the car window, from the buses and they are comfortable doing it. That is the bad part, and we must change that culture,” Mr. Gordon expressed.

Two major issues faced by the Authority are illegal dumping and the non-containerisation of garbage. Through the NSWMA mobile app, these issues can be reported to the agency.

The Authority was made aware of the location of 302 illegal dumpsites across the island last year and investigations into 194 of these have already been concluded.

Additionally, the NSWMA continues to provide information to and applaud citizens who actively engage in composting, recycling, and other good waste-management practices.