Barbados anti-littering team spreading regional message

The “Don’t Waste Barbados” campaign is a pro-Barbados national anti-littering campaign that encourages residents and visitors to stop littering on the island’s beautiful spaces.

Founded by Anthony Da Silva, Chairman of the Innotech Group, he said that “small efforts compounded over time often yield big results. Children have the power to be actual change-makers in society by modelling the types of behaviour that will bring about positive impacts within our communities.”

The Don’t Waste Barbados campaign has partnered with Ellipsis Earth, a UK-based company harnessing the power of drone technology and heat mapping to identify and locate litter sources. Once the litter is mapped, systems can be implemented to offer solutions such as national or community-based clean-ups.

Don’t Waste Barbados collaborated with Ellipsis Earth to deliver a pilot anti-littering programme to students ages 8-18 across Barbados. Students from both primary and secondary schools participated in the three-week programme.

In his remarks on the overall programme, Da Silva said: “This is a step in the right direction. Through this programme, students across Barbados get to see that the litter problem plaguing the island is real and that they can make a difference in their communities.”

Environmental Ambassador and Programme Lead Dominique Tudor said it was exciting to work with students and teachers over the three weeks, especially on the survey days. Students saw the power of technology and how they could use their mobile devices to make a difference.

Quincy Jones, a graduate teacher at the Ellerslie Secondary School, had the largest registered group. He highlighted that ”the litter surveys and overall programme were vital to protecting our coastal habitats and marine life.”

“It is crucial to have programmes such as these running in all schools across Barbados. The Don’t Waste Barbados team offered 300 students an opportunity to utilise STEM methodologies through the programme. Engaging students through the technologies they use while driving change is at the forefront of what we do here at Don’t Waste Barbados,” said David Tomlinson of Prosource Limited, one of the corporate supporters of the initiative.

Public relations and communications specialist Janelle Edwards thanked early adopters, the Innotech Group of Companies, and Prosource for the sponsorship of 300 students participating in the pilot programme.

“We also take this opportunity to thank corporate supporters – Chefette and Frosteez, who provided vouchers for students conducting the surveys and branded merchandise for all registered participants,” Edwards said.

But the Don’t Waste initiative extends beyond Barbados’ shores. Among the regional countries where the anti-littering message is being promoted is St Kitts and Nevis.

The Don’t Waste St. Kitts is also a national anti-littering movement that’s powered by the Solid Waste Management Corporation (SWMC). The ultimate goal of this initiative, is to encourage Kittitians and Nevisians to take pride in their surroundings and stop littering.

“We want St. Kitts and Nevis to be recognised as the cleanest small island in the world and that starts with encouraging residents and visitors to put their trash where it belongs, in a bin,” said Ivan Hanley, chairman of the SWMC.

Following initial meetings in February and March this year, the Don’t Waste Barbados team, SWMC and Open Interactive met in that island to structure the campaign’s mission, core pillars and the public relations strategy.

The Don’t Waste St. Kitts project is supported by the wider Don’t Waste campaign first launched in Barbados. A contingent from Barbados will be in St. Kitts working with local advertising and marketing agency Open Interactive and the SWMC to develop campaign messaging, roll out the first initiatives under the project including launching across social media, and advancing the public awareness initiatives for the anti-littering movement with graphic design development, video production and digital content for upcoming campaigns.

This cross regional team will work to also ensure that programmes are developed using a multi-generational approach, with efforts to drive awareness amongst the youth as a high priority.

“The children today are technology savvy and adopt new technology quickly, it is imperative that we engage them to change behaviours on how the people of St. Kitts and Nevis view litter,” Da Silva said. (PR)