Read the full document from The Grenada Green Group
Grenada, known for its stunning beaches and lush green hills, faces a growing challenge: plastic pollution. Taking bold action against this environmental threat is the Grenada Green Group (G3), a non-governmental organization which was registered in 2014.
The Grenada Green Group was founded by two tour operators who felt that the litter found throughout the island was not only an eyesore & sending the wrong message to tourists but also a health hazard. They made it their mission to try to tackle this, relying partially on the already existing Anti Litter Statutes passed in 2015.
The group worked on eliminating single use plastic bags in grocery stores, eliminating Styrofoam containers for carry out food, awarding certificates to businesses which kept the premises litter free, doing presentations in school to engage young people in the fight against litter. One of the ways we did this was to ask the schools to organize a poster competition. The winning children were given cash prizes.
There were several other initiatives but the most recent one, a campaign to collect plastic bottles, has been the most impactful.
A chance encounter with a representative of Unite Caribbean resulted in obtaining a grant to initiate the bottle collection campaign & run it for 6 months. Data was collected on several components:
The campaign under the Recycle OECS Project, focuses on collecting Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) and High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) bottles from across Grenada. These bottles are sent to the Queen’s Park Recycling Facility which is managed by the Grenada Solid Waste Management Authority (GSWMA), for processing
Additional funding received, has enabled the Grenada Green Group to continue and expand the campaign with the co operation of the Grenada Solid Waste Management Authority and various communities throughout the island.
It is our intention to add educational components to the campaign, specifically focusing on working with schools to engage young children.
An effort will be made to reach out to all 6 parishes as well as our sister islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique & guide them in establishing their own plastic bottle collection campaigns with guidance from the Grenada Green Group