The NEPM Waste Management Limited is taking a proactive approach in reducing the impact of electronic waste (e-waste) on the local environment, through collections and public sensitisation across the region.
E-waste is regarded as discarded electrical or electronic devices.
NEPM’s Customer Relations Officer, Donasha Biggs, told JIS News that the entity, which covers St. Ann, St. Mary and Portland, has already visited several communities to engage residents on proper e-waste management.
She said having educated persons on how to properly separate and containerise their electronic waste, NEPM sends in “our units to do the collection”.
Additionally, Ms. Biggs noted that the NEPM has a compactor body on property in Ocho Rios, St. Ann, to contain e-waste.
She is urging persons to visit the office to dispose of their broken, old and defected electronic waste, to include cellphones, laptops, tablets, typewriters, printers and others.
“What we ask persons to do is to bring in their e-waste… . We have it separated just like how we would have separated our plastic bottles. The NSWMA has a designated unit for e-waste that would come in to do the collection from us,” Miss Biggs explained.
“It is important to properly dispose of our e-waste because it is a hazard to the environment. So, we want to ensure that we do the right thing and put them away properly,” she added.
Meanwhile, the NEPM is looking at composting as another means of tackling solid waste within the region.
In June last year, the entity launched a compost project in the Rio Grande Valley area of Portland where they taught residents to separate their organic kitchen waste for composting.
Ms. Biggs outlined that this is another method of reducing the amount of waste going into the landfills, adding that the NEPM intends to venture into other communities to educate persons about composting.
“We are in partnership with North East Parish Schemes Association, in collaboration with National Housing Trust (NHT) and Recycling Partners of Jamaica, whereby we will be going across the region in all the communities to educate them on plastic separation,” she indicated.
“We would have gone already to Woodstock Orchard in Portland, where a launch was done, had a sensitisation meeting with residents and, of course, we are awaiting the town crier for them to get started,” Ms. Biggs added.