Government has agreed to provide assistance in the form of more manpower to the Antigua and Barbuda Waste Recycling Corporation (ABWREC), as the company seeks to cope with increased volumes of recyclable plastic bottles and aluminium cans.
A week ago the management of ABWREC announced that it would not be collecting waste until January 28, due to an existing backlog which had to be cleared first.
Following the disclosure, officials from the Ministry of Health and the Environment invited the management of the recycling plant to a meeting to discuss possible solutions.
Present at the meeting were Health Minister Molwyn Joseph; Environment Implementation Coordinator Indira James-Henry; President of the Rotary Club of Antigua Sundown, Jonah Ormond; Chairman of ABWREC, Mario Bento; and Past President of Rotary Club of Antigua Sundown, Herald Rolland.
In a post on its Facebook page the ministry said during the meeting it was disclosed that ABWREC’s temporary closure resulted from a shortage of labour to cope with the increased volume of recyclable plastic bottles and aluminium cans.
The ministry committed immediately to assist ABWREC by organising an additional eight labourers as per that specific request, and it is anticipated that the additional support will be realized by today.
Both parties also discussed long-term strategies to deal with a more robust and extensive recycling programme, and agreed to establish a closer collaboration in order to meet the national demands.
ABWREC is a non-profit business and a project of the Rotary Club of Antigua Sundown in partnership with the government through the National Solid Waste Management Authority, the Environment Division, and the Central Board of Health. Its mission is to assist in bulk waste reduction and the removal of non-biodegradable materials from Antigua & Barbuda through recycling.