Unite Caribbean recently attended the 32nd annual Caribbean Water and Wastewater Association conference, which took place in Guyanae.
RePLAST OECS Plastic CollectionProject achieves Major Milestone!
Castries: August 8th 2022 – The RePLAST OECS Pilot Plastic Collection Project has collected over 150,000 lbs of PET & HDPE Plastic bottles since beginning operations in January 2021.
The plastic collection activities of the RePLAST OECS Project commenced in January 2021 and have been supported by the government of France, the government of Saint Lucia, the Organisation of the Eastern Caribbean States Commission, and the private sector. Unite Caribbean Ltd., a cooperation development consulting firm, designed and managed the project and is currently implementing a third instalment, primarily supported by the private sector. Unite Caribbean Ltd has been coordinating the combined efforts of the public, community organisations, volunteers and recyclers since the inception. This has resulted in the collection of 150,000 lbs of PET & HDPE plastic bottles and the export of over 91,000 lbs of this material to recycling facilities in the wider Caribbean region.
RePLAST Project Manager and Unite Caribbean’s Director Waste and Water, Ronald Roach, declared « Since we started working on RePLAST OECS, back in 2020, we had this vision of achieving this important milestone. We are proud of the result, and grateful to volunteers, patrons and our partners who made it possible ».
Among those, Heineken Saint Lucia has been a supporter of the project since the early days. The company contributed financially to the project and as a partner in the marketplace. Louise Victor, Corporate Affairs Manager, Heineken St. Lucia, commented “This milestone is commendable and at Heineken Saint Lucia Ltd., we are proud to partner with REPLAST in championing recyclability efforts. The work of REPLAST is aligned to our Brew a Better World ambition which includes maximizing the circularity of our products and giving a second life to all input and output materials.”
Massy Stores is also a key partner of RePLAST OECS. The company was involved in the public education campaign, supported collection points and is one of the biggest rewards partners of the RePLAST marketplace “We congratulate RePLAST-OECS on achieving this milestone. Massy Stores (SLU) continues to be at the forefront of St. Lucia’s plastic reduction and recycling efforts. The company remains committed to support environmental awareness and advocacy groups, waste management and recycling projects.” Says Sariah Best-Joseph, Divisional Head – Marketing & Corporate Communications, Massy Stores St. Lucia Ltd.
The OECS Commission is supporting RePLAST OECS under the ReMLit Project (Building Resilience in the Easter Caribbean through a Reduction of Marine Litter) . “The achievement of this milestone represents a significant step in contributing to a culture of waste separation and recycling in our region in support of a circular economy.” – Susanna Debeauville-Scott, Project Manager, Ocean Governance & Fisheries Project, Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States Commission.
Collecting 150,000 lbs of plastic would not have been possible without the engagement of committed and motivated volunteers like Darwin Clement, Coordinator – Northern RePLAST Collection Points, who adds “We will not stop there. Our volunteers will continue the fight to keep the plastic off our streets, landfills and oceans for a better environment, for a better Saint Lucia.”
The impact of the RePLAST OECS project has been far reaching, across different levels of Saint Lucia’s society; prolonging the lifespan of landfill, reducing the frequency of flooding in urban areas and uniting communities towards a common goal of reducing plastic pollution in St. Lucia.
Know more
To learn more about the project visit: https://unite-caribbean.com/public/replastoecs/FAQ.html
Become a RePlast patron at: https://replastoecs.com/register/
Follow the Project updates and collection points openings on social media: @replastoecsproject
Media contact
For more information on RePLAST OECS and other Unite Caribbean initiatives contact us.
RePLAST: The collection and recycling project continues… and grows!
Reopening of the collection points since the end of 2021 and extension in Grenada
RePLAST-OECS Pilot Projects Completes Phase 1 With Key Targets in the Bag
Castries, September 1st ,2021. LAugust 31st marked the completion of Phase 1 of the RePLAST OECS Pilot Plastic Recycling Project, with all key implementation targets met. Against a long-term plan to create, pilot and replicate a novel end-to-end process for plastic waste management in the Caribbean, the Project was launched in May 2019 as a non-for-profit public private initiative by the Caribbean consulting firm Unite Caribbean with Saint Lucia serving as the pioneering Pilot Country.
Implemented over a two-year period, the Pilot phase focused on research, design and testing.
A community-led andincentivized Plastic Waste Collection System involving Public, Private and Local communities has been established in partnership with Gros-Islet town council, Vieux-Fort town council, the Laborie Development Foundation and CYEN. At August 31st, RePLAST-OECS has 254 trained volunteers attached to its four collection points. Hotel partners to date are Bay Gardens Resorts, Harbour Club, Coconut Bay and Hotel Chocolat.
In 21 days of operation since community collection begun in four areas, more to 65,000 lbs of plastic bottles has been collected, and effectively diverted from the Deglos Landfill. More than 41,000 ECD has been redeemed by the +1,700 registred patrons in cash value, creating livelihood opportunities for saint lucians..
Following the dispatch of two Experimental Shipments of Saint Lucia stockpile of plastics to the partnering recycling plant in Honduras in May and June 2020, the volume collected by the pilot phase is currently baled to be exported in the coming weeks by two selected recyclers, equipped and trained by the project to support commercial shipments.
LThe Initiative is now entering a period of review and assessment of the outcomes, with recommendations to guide the eventual upscaling of the system in Saint Lucia, and its replication in the OECS. This would then result in a sustainable recycling programme in Saint Lucia and the OECS Countries.
Unite Caribbean ascribes the achievement of its milestones to the committed coalition of Public and Private Sector Partners, Community Partners, Volunteers and the Patrons. “From a project management perspective, having to deal with a major pandemic is the kind of challenge no project wants to have to deal with it. Yet, REPLAST OECS met its planned implementation timeline, give or take a few months lost, due to the mandatory periods of enforced nationwide protocols”, said Project Director, Shanta King. This, she went on to say, was recognized and commended by representatives of the collation of project donors in the final reporting meeting.
“Despite the economic downturn, Saint Lucian companies who truly endorse and support recycling still agreed to support the incentive programme. And despite the sobering reality of life during COVID-19, Community partners and volunteers stood up as the face of the Project, something which has been as effective as our educational outreach in motivating others to reuse and recycle plastics, said Thomas Chollet, CEO of Unite Caribbean
The pilot project of RePLAST OECS was mainly funded by the Government of France represented in Saint Lucia by the French Embassy. Additional funding was provided by development agencies GIZ, the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF SPC), Massy Stores, Heineken Saint Lucia and the Coca-Cola Company.
The period September to December shall see a review of the system to adjust and develop Phase 2. Collection activities may be reduced to fortnightly collections.
New funding streams are being pursued to support the continuation of the project in Phase 2, which can hopefully be expanded island-wide in 2022.
Success for the first RePLAST OECS collection point!
On Saturday 16th, our team in Saint Lucia, supported by a dedicated volunteers, set up the first of the six RePLAST Collection Points, piloting the incentivized collection of plastic waste. In one day, around 442 kg of plastic bottles were collected.
Persons participating in the collection and delivery of plastics beverage containers were entitled to rewards via a Rewards card for which they can register online at www.replastoecs.com. To date, 339 people in Saint Lucia registered with the reward programme.
The RePLAST-OECS Project is creating a sustainable model for the efficient management of plastic waste which can be adopted in other Caribbean countries. It has been selected by Ubuntoo, the digital platform benchmarking and connecting worldwide sustainable solutions to showcase our innovative plastic waste management and recycling initiative in the Caribbean SIDS.
Read more on the project here.