Attractive, huge abstract-type-looking ornaments made from recycled plastic drew people to the Recycling in Motion booth at the recent Sustainable Tourism Conference at the Hyatt Regency in Port-of-Spain.
"I have had many people ask me to purchase these but they are not for sale. We just showcase them to show that creativity also exists in recycling," said Trevor Williams, managing director at Recycling in Motion.
The Champs Fleurs-based organisation which also has offices in Guyana, St Lucia and Barbados, has been in the business of recycling plastic since the mid-90s.
Williams said he was always a "sucker" for a clean environment and after living in Canada for most of his life where strict environmental laws are in place, he decided to come back home and set up a waste management company that would mainly recycle plastics.
That was 20 years ago.
"I came back here and started the company. I thought I could come back and impact the culture–change the dynamics of how recycling was being approached at the time," said Williams.
He began collecting plastics from manufacturers and shipping them abroad to other companies he was affiliated with, which would recycle the plastics into products that can return on the market.
The company, which is self-funded and has a Certificate of Environmental Clearance (CEC) from the EMA, has been able to stop three million pounds of plastic from reaching the landfill annually, according to Williams.
But he said soon, this might be no more as the company is in need of additional funding for sustainability.
He said because of lack of legislation on the government's part to pass the Beverage Container Bill (Bottle Bill), companies like his have been forced to shut down.
"This is no easy business to run, especially when it is being funded by your own pocket. Without material reaching the company, how can revenue be generated? How can workers be paid," he asked.
"If they pass the bill then there would be a return on bottles. This would encourage the public to save them instead of discarding them incorrectly, and companies recycling plastic would get a continuous supply of material. It would also cut cost for manufacturers as they won't have to pay dumping fees anymore," explained Williams.
He said the company has met with government officials on many occasions to raise the issue and are waiting for action to be taken–legislation and policies to be made so that businesses like his can survive.
"Look another recycling company had to close down recently because of lack of funding. There is literally no type of financial support from the government for companies like this, but they keep talking about going for green. Going for green how?"
Williams said he is hoping that the public and private sectors would get involved and take this seriously because inappropriate dumping of waste–whatever kind, will cost mankind a high price in the long run.
"All I am asking and other companies in this business, is that legislation is made so that we can continue providing a much needed service. It is not about making money, but protecting the environment and ensuring that everybody is educated about the importance of keeping a healthy environment," said Williams.
When contacted, communications officer at the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, Avanti Supersad, said the Beverage Container Bill had not been forgotten. She said Minister Ganga Singh laid the bill in Senate on November 20, 2012.
"At the time, several amendments were placed before the Senate and after discussions from all sides, it was agreed that the matter would be adjourned to a further date to allow for the members to further discuss the amendments and the possible changes to the Bill," said Supersad.
She said the matter is still ongoing and it is expected that it will be discussed at the Senate shortly.
NGO, It's Up to Me Environmental, located in Port-of-Spain, has been collecting waste from thousands of homes and schools across T&T for the past four years. On March 1, it was forced to close the building from which it operates in the Sea Lots area, due to lack of funding. While it continued its collection services with the help of solid waste management company (SWMCOL), which is currently providing them with a storage facility, that too, had to be halted on April 26, again, because of lack of funding. The company recycles glass, plastic, aluminum, cans, cardboard and paper and have attracted over 4,000 customers since it was established in 2010. They also provide employment for ten members of the community in which they are based, and they do it without the help of the government. On the company's Facebook page they have even posted a petition targeted at Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and have urged the public to sign in support of the company.
In a brief telephone interview the organisation's president John Lewis, he said with the limited resources the company has, it has been unable to maintain monthly rent deposits and salaries for employees. He said the board members have exhausted all their funds helping to keep the company afloat.
"Customers are calling and we have to tell them we cannot help them–that is not the plan we had for this organisation when it started," said Lewis.
He pointed out, last year the company was hoping get financial assistance from the Green Fund to purchase specialty trucks from the UK to separate waste material and prepare it for the recycling centre–to date there is only one truck available.
He said the inaction by the government to move quickly on the Beverage Container Bill, has prevented them from getting funding.
Lewis hopes the petition will get the Prime Minister's attention, as he believes she may not be fully aware of the issues recycling companies face. He is also of the view, the petition will highlight how many people still care about protecting and saving the environment.
You can read more about It's Up to Me Environmental in an upcoming full article in the T&T Guardian.
For more information visit their Facebook page, It's Up to Me Environmental or contact 624-0063.
�2 For more information on Recycling in motion, contact 675-7465/789-7945 or send emails to recyclinginmotion@hotmail.com