The Green Fund Unit of the Ministry of Planning and Development is proud to support the expansion of the Cashew Gardens Community Council’s Recycle Programme (CGCRP). During the period 2016-2017, the Cashew Gardens Community Council took an initiative to start a recycling initiative within the community to determine if the reduction of solid waste in the Caparo River will have a positive impact on the water quality. The council partnered with other stakeholders such as : WASA Adopt A River, the EMA ICARE, Carib Glassworks Limited and SWMCOL.
The objectives of the expansion of the CGCRP are as follows:
- To expand a recycling programme within other phases of the community and its immediate environs, which will involve the removal of recyclables collected at a household level, sorting of collected materials, thus reducing the solid waste in the rivers, seas and landfills.
- To collect data of the quantities and types of recyclables collected within the Cashew Gardens and environs and provide to stakeholders such as EMA and WASA’s Adopt A River Programme.
- To regularly test the quality of water and to monitor the impact of the recycling programme on the Caparo River.
- To develop a business model to further implement and expand the up-cycling programme for the environment and financial sustainability.
It is expected that at the end of the Cashew Gardens Community Council’s Recycling Programme (CGCRP), the education and awareness activities will impact more than 160 households. The Cashew Gardens Community Council will utilize the data collected during the project to provide evidence to decision makers on the environmental impact of this programme on flooding in the Carapo area. The data from the water quality testing that will be done throughout this programme will be shared with Adopt a River/WASA, SWMCOL and the EMA, in order to determine the positive impacts on the water quality of the Caparo watershed. The lessons learned and best practices will create a transferable model that can be easily duplicated by other communities.
Visit their website https://www.cashewamodelcommunity.org/ also visit their Facebook pages at https://www.facebook.com/CGCRecycling/ and https://www.facebook.com/CGModelCommunity/.