Recycling Partners Looking to Increase Processing Depots

Recycling Partners of Jamaica (RPJ) is working to increase the number of processing depots it has across the island.

Chairman of RPJ, Dr. Damien King, said the overwhelming response of the population to recycling indicates the need for greater capacity to properly manage the disposal and processing of recyclables.

“We now only have six depots open, and we want to have at least one in every parish,” he said.

Dr. King noted that by expanding capacity, RPJ will be able to “deal with more bottles, and so, therefore, you’re going to see the [recycling] cages being cleared more efficiently.”

He was speaking at a ceremony for the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) by RPJ and the Tourism Product Development Company Limited (TPDCO) to expand the Tourism Recycling Partnership between the entities.

The signing took place at RPJ’s head office in Kingston on Thursday (September 22).

Dr. King said the RPJ remains committed to working with the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, which has responsibility for the environment, to improve Jamaica’s waste management thrust.

This includes legislating the deposit refund scheme for plastic bottles by the end of this financial year, in March 2023.

The scheme provides a cash refund to consumers who return their plastic bottles after use.

Plastic and glass bottles, paper, aluminium and steel cans, among others, are usually listed as recyclable items.

After collection, they are sent to a facility to be sorted, cleaned, compacted and baled, and processed into materials that can be used in manufacturing.

In collaboration with the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA), bins for proper disposal of recyclables are placed along sidewalks, businesses, schools, resorts, and other areas, to give citizens access to proper waste disposal options.