NSWMA Receives Two Tipper Trucks from Japan

Two new tipper trucks, valued at $21 million have been added to the National Solid Waste Management Authority’s (NSWMA) fleet to aid in improved garbage collection in the Kingston Metropolitan Area (KMA).

The units, which were donated by the Government of Japan, arrived in the island in December last year.

They were officially handed over during the closing ceremony for a cooperation pilot project on solid waste reduction between the NSWMA and the Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA), at the Courtleigh Hotel and Suites in New Kingston on Friday (January 27).

In presenting the gift, Ambassador of Japan to Jamaica, his Excellency Masanori Nakano, said an additional truck is to be delivered soon.

He said the Japanese government would continue to partner with Jamaica through ongoing initiatives aimed at improving the efficiency of the country’s solid waste management system.

In his remarks, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development, Denzil Thorpe thanked the Japanese Government for the “generous gift” noting that it would help to boost the NSWMA’s waste management capabilities.

Mr. Thorpe noted that these units will be in addition to the 17 compactor trucks which were procured by the government, noting that the first shipment is expected to arrive in the island in another two weeks.

He informed that the next shipment will arrive in February; and another in April. The full complement will arrive in the next financial year.

The pilot project, dubbed ‘Solid Waste Reduction through Waste Separation, Waste Diversion and Recycling’, was launched in July 2016 to reduce solid waste, starting at the household level through waste separation.

The ultimate aim of the initiative was to decrease the high volume of plastic bottles at the Riverton City disposal site.

Householders were asked to separate regular garbage from recyclable waste over a six month period. The latter was then diverted from the landfill to recycling facilities.

Approximately 2,000 households were targeted in Rollington Town in Kingston, and Caribbean Estates and Caymanas Country Club in St. Catherine.

A total of 120 tonnes of recyclable material were collected during the project, most of which were diverted to the Recycling Partners of Jamaica facility.

It is anticipated that the initiative will be extended to 34 additional communities over the medium term and a greater number eventually.

The project was undertaken at a cost of $7.5 million, with JICA providing $6.5 million of the sum and NSWMA contributing the remainder.