Housing and the Environment Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal says citizens can expect to secure gainful employment when the Beverage Container Bill is approved during the current term of Parliament.
Moonilal, speaking at the first national environmental conference at the St Augustine Campus of the University of the West Indies (UWI) yesterday, said the legislation sought to reduce the incidence of pollution with bottles and other containers.
He said an "estimated 15 to 20 million containers a month pollute this environment, clog drains and waterways, create islands of plastic bottles offshore and contribute to widespread flooding." According to Moonilal, the final draft of the legislation had already been looked at and would be taken to Cabinet after a final round table meeting of stakeholders. "This will be a significant step to the solution of a most critical environmental issue in this country," he said. The minister said Government had been seeking consensus on the matter, but once it was clear that it would not be achieved, they decided to proceed with the legislation and make the required amendments appropriately.
"We will pursue this matter and bring conclusion to it," Moonilal stressed. He said the initiative would create new economic opportunities as "it will, not only address an environmental problem but through a refund incentives programme would create jobs for persons to collect and return containers." "We also expect to see further jobs created in a dramatically enlarged recycling industry, particularly the reprocessing of plastic bottles," he said.
Moonilal announced that the Green Fund had been opened up to state agencies involved in environmental matters. He insisted the fund was being "managed under a very stringent regulatory environment" and said he would ensure the fund's integrity is protected. He also said solar energy based green housing would be established in T&T soon. Moonilal said the People's Partnership Government was committed to the initiative. "Our soon to be launched 2011 housing programme, which will start at the end of January, will begin that process as a pilot in specific areas, not only with the traditional solar street lighting and solar heating but with architectural designs incorporating green elements," Moonilal added.
"We are taking the lead and we expect private entrepreneurs in home construction to follow," Moonilal said. Moonilal also said the Government is committed to the establishment of a wind turbine farm "to power one of our housing developments." He said the Government was in discussions with "our international partners, particularly representatives of the Government in Denmark concerning a project on the southeast peninsula in Trinidad that may well become the first housing estate to be powered by wind." He said as recently as Thursday, Government officials and the relevant parties held discussions on the matter.