Waste management, plastic pollution reduction, and circular economy approaches were some of the issues that took the spotlight when Taylor Clayton, Regional Project Manager and Alejandra Gamez, Project Associate of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Cartagena Convention Secretariat met with authorities at the St James Municipal Corporation (SJMC) in Jamaica recently.
The municipality, in partnership with UNEP plans to embark on an initiative geared towards promoting the separation of waste and the promotion of innovative business models to reduce plastics that enter the sea.
The initiative is part of the Global Environment Facility (GEF)-funded "LAC Cities" project, aiming to reduce marine plastic pollution in the Caribbean. The project is currently being implemented in Jamaica, Colombia, and Panama, in partnership with UNEP. It aims to foster key partnerships with government authorities, private sector, and civil society to promote policies, innovations and best practices in the circular economy.
UNEP estimates that more than eight million metric tonnes of plastic end up in the ocean every year. This poses a threat to marine life, food chains, the livelihoods of persons who depend on the sea, vulnerable populations and vital industries such as tourism and fisheries.
Trevion Manning, the SJMC’s Director of Planning stated that the programme will help to create a cleaner marine environment, preserve the coral reefs, promote more sustainable livelihoods and positively impact the parish given that it is a mecca for tourists.
Taylor Clayton said "we are happy to be collaborating with the SJMC on this project. The project activities will support Montego Bay to move beyond recycling, to work with the private sector to pilot new business models to prevent plastic waste. We hope multistakeholder engagement will lead to a cleaner, healthier marine environment."
