A six-month campaign by the Dominica Solid Waste Management Corporation (DSWMC) seeks to raise awareness on proper waste management and heighten the need for the preservation of the natural environment in Dominica.
The campaign, which is a partnership with the public and private sector, will bring to the forefront the need to safeguard the natural environment.
The theme “Be the Solution, Stop Pollution” beckons Dominicans to rethink their habits and practices and to be more conscientious on the adverse impact of pollution not just on the environment but on human health.
At the media launch last week, General Manager at the DSWMC, Florian Mitchel, the brainchild of the initiative, said waste management is not an activity of one institution.
Though he noted that DSWMC is mandated to oversee the overall management of waste in Dominica, he said it also means that corporate entities have an essential role to play in bringing awareness of the degradation of our natural environment as a consequence of illegal dumping.
“Whether you are a corporate entity or a local man on the street, we all have a role to play. The preservation of the natural environment cannot happen by chance or by accident or should we allow our neighbour to do it, the onus is on us as human beings,” Mitchel stated.
Public Relations Officer (PRO) at DSWMC, Rhoda St. John who gave an overview of the initiative at the media launch, said that the “timely” campaign will ensure effective communication between waste management organisations and citizens as it is essential to the efficient operation of the management services.
St John said that the first activity in the campaign is a competition among the primary and secondary schools, and the state college.
She explained that the primary school students were given the task of designing a poster on anti-littering, “where they use the poster and speak of what it is to not litter and how to dispose of your garbage properly.”
The high schoolers are being asked to create a slogan in the form of a jingle whilst the college students will write an essay no more than 1000 to 2000 words on the topic, “How does littering contribute to marine pollution and what are its effects on the Caribbean tourism industry?”
All competitions will be judged via social media and other platforms.
During the campaign, there will also be consultations, seminars and conferences catering to the various sectors of society and the business community.
A seminar on May 6, forms part of activities where restaurant owners will be engaged in discussion with the DSWMC to be further educated on how to reuse, reduce and recycle waste from their establishments.
“Every sector of society is important to us in waste management; we are trying not to leave out anyone for we know that waste is everyone’s responsibility,” St. John noted.
Throughout the summer, the DWSMC will partner with the Business Professional Women (BPW) to host a programme for students ages 7 – 17 called “Upcycle Like A Boss.”
In the month of June, a cleanliness competition will also be held in the seven districts.
Recognizing the role that bus drivers play in waste management and to ensure that passengers on buses do not litter, some of the operators will be appointed as litter wardens.
“During the life cycle of the campaign, there will be videos made on proper waste disposal and best practices, and billboards with positive messages to be placed around the country, the creation of an app where persons will get into and directly relate to solid waste to voice their concerns, ask questions and send pictures of persons not adhering to the times of collection,” the PRO stated.
Other aspects of this campaign include a waste characterization study where the staff of the DSWMC will spend time on dividing the waste that comes into the landfill and determining the volume and the components of waste to be better able to direct the waste and manage it in that area.
St. John disclosed that soon litter bins in the city will be replaced with a more upscale model.
“It will house components where you can place your cup and water bottles, a component for paper and for normal waste. Imagine, this bin will also have an ashtray for your cigars,” St. John explained.
The DSWMC PRO pleaded with the public to work with the corporation in achieving their outlined goals.
Is there a plastics re-cycle program ? plastics are a major problem even in the United States and get into the worlds oceans and kill fish and mammals like dolphins and whales. The use of plastic bags in grocery stores and other stores have been banned because they get dumped into land fills where they never rot they are there forever. They should go back to the old fashioned way where only paper shopping bags were used with re-usable glass bottles. There is a mass of plastic trash floating in the Pacific ocean the size of Manhattan NY heading to California. The Government of Dominica should use some of that C B I money to invest in a plastics re-cycle plant or cut off plastics use all together Some European countries like Germany have a mandatory re-cycle program. Just a thought.
Good luck with that. Some Dominicans are just too nasty.