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guidelines. Thus, the techniques JSIF learned are passed on to management holistically on a multi-community
all who interact with the Fund and the knowledge is conveyed level because it recognized that any programme
organically. to address the issue must be comprehensive to
be sustainable. Issues to be addressed included
JSIF exercises rigorous management of the environmental the residents’ lack of knowledge, negative attitude
effects of its projects following the Government of Jamaica’s towards the environment; no community solid
environmental laws and regulations but, recognizing that waste management enforcement; solid waste
there existed more sophisticated and rigorous procedural infrastructure needs; and NSWMA’s waste
and monitoring methods, decided to adopt international collection capacity. The objectives were to improve
environmental management procedures with the input of the the public health situation in the communities,
International Organization for Standardization (ISO) which enhance community aesthetics and encourage
offers independent, third-party internationally recognized behaviour change of residents toward disposal
certification in environmental management. In January 2009 and management of solid waste. The Fund
JSIF became the first Government agency in the Caribbean accomplished this by providing infrastructure and
region to be ISO 14001 certified and has maintained this equipment and focusing on promoting behaviour
certification to date. change strategies at an individual level.
JSIF is cognizant of the issue of climate change and its A participatory approach ensured that key
resulting effects and designs measures to address possible stakeholders, i.e. communities and the NSWMA are
issues that may occur in all its projects. This includes, among included in decision-making, resulting in effective
others, providing buildings with water harvesting systems, collaboration to reduce the waste management
encouraging farmers to use greenhouse technology and and disposal challenges experienced on both
providing farmers with drip irrigation systems for more efficient sides. For instance, with JSIF facilitation, the
water usage. NSWMA and residents established mutually
satisfactory locations to place enclosures and
This approach encompasses training of staff and critical skips for waste storage. This would ensure that the
NSWMA trucks could easily access the areas and
the waste disposal sites were in locations that were
convenient for residents of all ages.
Growing Cucumber Using Drip Irrigation. Separation of waste at source is an important
solid waste management strategy which many
stakeholders, continually setting new environmental goals Jamaicans are unaware of and do not have
and objectives and adopting new and improved sustainable the resources to undertake. JSIF, however, has
technologies. It is anticipated that what is learned through improved the communities’ capacity to separate,
the interaction on the JSIF project will be communicated on a store, and recycle their waste by providing the
wider scale to the businesses and communities from which the necessary infrastructure and equipment. These
project participants come, and integrated in their daily activities. include the provision of enclosures, skips or drums
3. Community Solid Waste Management for residents to sort or separate waste at source;
and construction of a recycling station in each
JSIF has worked with high density, volatile, urban/peri- community where plastic bottles are processed
urban communities where effective control and disposal of before being sold to a recycling company. This
solid waste is a major issue for both the residents and the initiative encourages a change in residents’
National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA). JSIF perception of what was seen as ‘just’ waste to
targeted eighteen (18) communities to address solid waste something with income-generation potential, or via
improved yields through practising composting in
school and community gardens.
Further, JSIF provided employment for one hundred
sixty-five (165) community members who were
trained, gazetted and employed as community
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