St. Kitts Keeps up the momentum on plastic waste reduction
Basseterre, St. Kitts, 10 July 2024- The “Closing The Caribbean Plastic Tap” initiative launched at the St. Kitts Marriott Resort on 10 July 2024, featuring a National Inception workshop hosted by IUNC- ORMACC, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation and the Government of St.kitts. Stakeholders and participants convened to address plastic waste leakage in Caribbean Small Island Developing States.
The initiative focuses on the problem of plastic waste leakage in the Caribbean Small Island Developing State (SDIS), by providing effective, measurable solutions for managing recyclable and unrecyclable plastic waste and leakage within the region, targeting significant reduction in plastic waste generation and leakage over three years in prioritised SDIS.
The workshop, cheered by the Director of the Department of Environment, Mr. Derionne Edmeade, opened with a tone of urgency addressing the pressing matter of plastic pollution and its impact on Small Developing Island States, highlighting the issue’s significant importance to not only the Federation of St.Kitts but also in global and regional discourse as it relates to sustainability.
“The issue of plastic waste and the impact it has on our environment is not an isolated issue to our Federation but is a matter of urgent recognition by regional and global partners alike. This pressing issue demands collaborative efforts by stakeholders and partners in finding solutions to address this matter including the harmonizing of policies and a resilience in accomplishing the goal of plastic waste reduction”, Mr. Edmeade related.
With the current message of sustainability within the islands, the project aligns with the Federation’s sustainability efforts, including the announcement of the single use plastic ban and the recently introduced National Conservation Environmental Management Act (NCEMA), advancing legislative action for effective management of plastic waste on a national and regional level. The opportune implementation of the workshop and its aims were emphasized by the Honourable Dr. Joyelle Clarke.
“This initiative is not only timely but crucial for the future of our beloved Federation. As we stand on the brink of joining the Protocol Concerning Pollution from land – Based Sources and Activities (LBS Protocol) to the Cartagena Convention, this project symbolizes our unwavering commitment to reducing plastic waste generation and leakage” the Minister stated.
Additionally, the workshop aims to inform national partners and stakeholders on the project’s goals, gather their inputs to ensure alignment with national initiatives and prioritize additional relevant stakeholders for effective project implementation, including outlining expected outputs and anticipated outcomes. Consequently increasing the Federations capacity and readiness to achieve the projects desired results and determining a national implementation plan and the next step for the projects future.
