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Mona Prep relaunches plastic bottle recycling programme

Published:Wednesday | September 20, 2023 | 12:07 AM
From left: Jonathan-Adam Beckford, promotions coordinator of Recycling Partners of Jamaica; Kimeesha Campbell-Douglas, marketing and public relations officer of Recycling Partners of Jamaica; Citrine Dixon, principal of Mona Preparatory School; Orched Gor
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From left: Jonathan-Adam Beckford, promotions coordinator of Recycling Partners of Jamaica; Kimeesha Campbell-Douglas, marketing and public relations officer of Recycling Partners of Jamaica; Citrine Dixon, principal of Mona Preparatory School; Orched Gordon, vice principal of Mona Preparatory School; Danielle Andrade-Goffe, chair of the Grounds and Facilities Committee of the Mona Preparatory School Parent-Teacher Association.

The Mona Preparatory School (MPS) in partnership with the MPS Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) has relaunched its plastic bottle recycling programme as a part of its Green School Initiative.

This is being undertaken with support from Recycling Partners of Jamaica (RPJ).

Representatives of RPJ attended the school’s morning devotion on Thursday, September 14, where they handed over three bottle-shaped recycling cages uniquely crafted specifically for disposing of plastic bottles. The plastic bottles collected by the school will later be processed for shipping overseas for recycling. Mona Preparatory School which has a population of over 500 students, had previously initiated a plastic bottle recycling programme which had been suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic when schools shifted to online learning. “We are extremely excited to be restarting the plastic bottle recycling programme. We feel the need to do our part in ensuring a clean and healthy environment and we love the fact that this is a good way to teach young minds about the importance of taking care of the environment,” says Citrine Dixon, principal of MPS.

PTA president Dr Louis-Ray Harris noted the organisation’s support of the initiative. “The Mona Prep PTA is excited about this opportunity to partner with the school to increase awareness of the importance of recycling. We know that habits are formed over time, and the hope is that this recycling thrust will help our students to understand the link between good waste management and responsible citizenship.” The initiative came days ahead of International Coastal Clean-Up Day on Saturday, September 16. According to Jamaica’s 2022 National Coastal Clean-Up Report, plastic bottles were the number one item collected along the coast last year, representing 36 per cent of the total waste collected on that day.