RPJ Supports National Labour Day Project

Recycling Partners of Jamaica (RPJ) is reinforcing its commitment to environmental sustainability through its support of the National Labour Day project in Mason River, Clarendon.

The project is the establishment of an Environmental and Research Park at the designated site.

General Manager, RPJ, Gairy Taylor, told JIS News that the entity will provide recycling bins and facilitate the collection of plastics at the location.

“Our team will be there to ensure that all of the plastic bottles – the high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) – are properly separated and brought to our facilities,” said Mr. Taylor.

Regarding the provision of bins, Mr. Taylor informed that a tailored approach is used to determine how many bins are placed at a location.

“The team will go, [conduct] an assessment. If it is a small area, you don’t want to flood it with bins. We have to look at the need and the population density around the area, because it will not only serve that particular location, it will [also] serve the community,” he explained.

He further stated that after Labour Day, the team will visit the area to sensitise and encourage residents to recycle and let them know that “there is a space where you can deposit your bottles, and we will come and pick it up”.

Mr. Taylor also pointed out that this year’s theme for Labour Day aligns with RPJ’s mission, and being a partner puts the entity in a position to get national buy-in on the practice of recycling.

“The partnership with this National Labour Day project gives us a national visibility. It gives us a way to continually reach the public because for something to be transformed from a novelty into a habit, you have to reach as many persons as possible,” said Mr. Taylor.

He further highlighted the environmental importance of recycling, noting that if plastic bottles are not disposed of properly, they can break down into microplastics that contaminates soil, water and air.

“These micro plastics can enter the food chain through seafood, drinking water and the air that we breathe, eventually ending up in our bodies,” Mr. Taylor said.

“When plastic bottles are not disposed of properly, it clogs our drains [and] waterways and, of course, we all know the impact of that when we have heavy rains,” he added.

Labour Day 2025 will be observed on Friday, May 23 under the theme ‘Protect the Environment: Our Land, Our Duty, Our Future’ and the slogan, ‘Jamaica Nice, Protect Wi Paradise’.