also visit regional corporations throughout Trinidad and Tobago, setting up initiatives and programs to do curbside recycling. At the Tunapuna-Piarco Regional Corporation, we have introduced a recycling initiative where the burgesses separate their waste at source. We’ve also educated the burgesses in business ventures and opportunities relating to proper waste management, like downstream industries from recycling.” Where the communication program at SWMCOL had previously been ad hoc, recently, the company has focused on two key stakeholders. “The first stakeholder is the youth,” says Mr. Manswell. “We believe through the youth we can influence the waste behaviour of the future. The second stakeholder is residential areas, because we believe some people have the passion or the desire to change but don’t have the know-how or the methodology to do that. From these initiatives, we have begun to see a real change in behaviour. In the pilot project we did in the Tunapuna-Piarco Regional Corporation, the burgesses have brought in close to 1 million units of recyclables in three months. That’s a significant achievement for individuals who were void
of any understanding of recycling. We’ve seen similar shifts in schools towards recycling, as well as teachers who have invited SWMCOL in to conduct public education forums. We believe this changing attitude could provide momentum going forwards to where we can capture the entire population of Trinidad and Tobago.” TO PROTECT AND ENHANCE SWMCOL’s vision going forwards is to invest further in sustainability measures. “We want to expand our engineered wetlands initiative,” says Mr. Manswell. “We’re also investing in Material Recovery Facilities, or MRFs, where we can separate the waste and send the valuables for recycling. It’s a major accomplishment, and you’ll find a reduction in the leachate problem as we reduce waste going to landfill. Our strategic initiative going forwards is to form public-private strategic alliances. Because we can’t do it alone we’re inviting the greater populace to join with us as we change the way we manage waste here.” “The very nature of solid waste management and waste disposal is for the protection and enhancement of the environment,”
says Mr. Roach. “The company was formed based on a public health study done in 1979. People don’t realize the impact of good waste management until you don’t have any. What we do is to compact and cover the waste when it is brought into the sites, and in doing so, we prevent the spread of disease. Because our operations are deficient in some ways, we haven’t always been able to do as good a job as we need to, so we’re taking steps to improve the sustainability of our operations, and we intend to continue investing in projects which benefit the environment and the public health of Trinidad and Tobago.” c
Quality service at a reasonable cost. For the last eleven years, Wafiq Transport Limited’s principal activities are the provision of transportation services, rental of backhoes, dump trucks and trailers, vacuuming and maintaining water waste systems, cleaning of grease traps, box drains, bridges and roads. We have a reputation of proving a reliable, timely, costeffective and professional service. Your company and our obligation to your establishment will be very important to us, so all reasonable times you can be assured that there will be someone who would be available to assist you. PRESENT CUSTOMERS - UNIPET, Couva URP, Educational Facilities Company Limited, Sports TT Ltd, Kaizen Environ Services
• General civil work • Sewage removal • Industrial waste disposal
• Transportation • Supply of Heavy Equipment • Supply of Portable Water
Wafiq Transport - Lp#86 Orange Field Road, Carapichaima • Tel.: 1.868.673.0152 E-mail: wafiqtransport@gmail.com • www.wafiqtransport.wix.com
CULTIVATION OF PLANTS IN NURSERY.
NEW FLEET.
SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE
| 35