PSOJ Supports Plastic, Polystyrene Ban

President of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ), Howard Mitchell, says the entity is in support of the Government’s move to ban single-use plastic bags, straws and polystyrene, noting that the materials are hazardous to health and the environment.

“I think we have to do it.  We (the PSOJ) have even written to the Government stating that we want to be a part of the implementation team, because there is no question that plastics are bad for us and the environment,” he said.

He pointed out that “most of us use plastics in our lives, so we have to work out ways to accommodate a transition. We are in favour of limiting, reducing and eventually eliminating the use of plastics in this country”.

Mr. Mitchell was speaking to journalists following a tour of business process outsourcing (BPO) companies at the Montego Bay Free Zone and Barnett Tech Park in St. James on Thursday (October 18).

He viewed operations at Itel BPO, Vistaprint, Teleperformance, Contax 360 BPO Solutions, Concentrix and sites of future companies that are under construction.

The PSOJ head said the organisation welcomes collaborations with the Business Process Industry Association of Jamaica (BPIAJ) and urged that BPO companies consider joining the PSOJ in an effort to effect change in the private sector.

President of the BPIAJ, Gloria Henry, noted that greater partnership with the PSOJ would be mutually beneficial.

“We (BPO sector) have been employing thousands of individuals and have seen increased foreign exchange earnings annually. We want greater collaboration with the PSOJ for combined advocacy to address challenges. We want to promote business-to-business linkages between BPO and other sectors,” she said.

Ms. Henry noted that BPO is one of the fastest-growing sectors in Jamaica, with 60 companies employing 32,000 individuals and others to come on stream.

She said that the BPO sector extends far beyond St. James, with companies in Kingston, St. Catherine, Hanover, Westmoreland, Manchester, and St. Elizabeth, and operations to be set up in St. Ann shortly.