NSWMA Hosts E-Waste Expo on October 14

The National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) will be hosting an electronic waste (e-waste) exposition at its head office located at 61 Half-Way Tree Road, St. Andrew, on Saturday, October 14.

The event, which will commence at 10:00 a.m, is in observance of International E-waste Day, under the theme ‘Mek Haste and Recycle Yuh E-Waste’.

E-waste refers to any equipment with plugs, cords and electronic components that are at the end of their useful life.

These include mobile phones, personal computers and peripherals such as printers and keyboards, televisions and associated cabling.

Speaking at a recent JIS Think Tank, Executive Director, NSWMA, Audley Gordon, said the expo will be “informative and entertaining”, thereby providing an opportunity for citizens to learn about e-waste.

He is encouraging persons to attend the event and use the opportunity to drop off any e-waste that they may have in their possession.

“Come down to our offices at Half-Way Tree Road. Come and learn about this danger to the society and the environment, and if you have e-waste that you want to discard, that’s a good day to take it down,” Mr. Gordon urged.

Stating that the country’s waste stream is contaminated with e-wastes, he noted that these electronic products are “laden with hazardous materials” which are harmful to the environment and the health of individuals and, as such, should be disposed of properly.

International E-waste Day is a yearly awareness-raising event initiated by the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Forum and its members.

It aims to highlight the growing issue of electronic waste and promote responsible e-waste management.

The NSWMA is responsible for the management of solid waste in Jamaica.

The agency’s mandate is to safeguard public health, and ensure that waste is collected, stored, transported, recycled and reused or disposed of in an environmentally sound manner.