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Everyone can play their part in protecting and making the environment of Barbados Green. Learn about practicing the three 'R's - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - at home, at work and finally where to find recycling centres in Barbados.
Barbados relies heavily on the tourism sector to generate income to this small developing nation; therefore it is very important to the people of Barbados that this beautiful country is protected from the impact of our actions.
Therefore we encourage all tourists to dispose of their rubbish when they are on the beaches as this can be harmful to the marine and coastal environment.
Barbados also enjoys a healthy population of sea turtles, which come on to land to hatch their eggs, therefore it is very important that these baby turtles get to enjoy a natural environment as they make their first journey to the sea unhindered by our unwanted garbage.
As a developing country, Barbados has not been as advanced as other nations in developing a greener way of life, however these issues are being addressed by The Future Centre Trust, whose role is to educate the public on how to lead a greener life for the benefit of our country and to protect our much needed tourism sector.
There is one area where Barbados has excelled, and that is in the use of renewable energy. The majority of properties in Barbados get their hot water through Solar Power, and as you go around the island you will see flat panels on the roofs of houses, these panels take power from the sun and heat the water.
Another developing energy source on the island is wind power and using this to generate electricity.
Fourteen years ago at the United Nations conference for Small Island Developing States, Dr Colin Hudson created an exhibit of a the 'Village of Hope' which showed the impact of our past and present actions and gave examples of how we could change for the future.
This village made such an impact on Dame Nita Barrow who was Governor General for Barbados at the time that she suggested that the exhibit become a permanent fixture in Barbados and so the Future Centre Trust was created in 1995.
The aim of the Future Centre Trust is to promote better practice for our environment in Barbados and eventually throughout the Caribbean.
On a very limited staff, The Future Centre Trust primarily targets school children and young families with their initiatives and teaches the three 'R' - reduce, reuse and recycle. They are a non-profit organisation without government funding and rely solely on donations of time from volunteers and monetary donations through tours of the centre.
Hotels on the island realise their role in protecting the environment and some have implemented green policies to ensure that they are promoting a greener way of life to their guests and the community that they are located in; one such hotel is Bougainvillea Beach Resort on the South Coast of Barbados.
Hotels are now actively encouraging their staff and guests to recycle wherever possible, not only glass and plastics but also liquids and solid waste material. They also use food waste to compost and fertilise the tropical landscape of the hotel.
They have implemented best practice policies to reduce pollutants such as noise, chemicals, gases and CFC's wherever possible and to use alternatives.
The hotels are taking their responsibility to the environment very seriously providing workshops to educate their staff on the importance of recycling not only at their work place but in their homes as well.
Hotels are not the only businesses in Barbados that realise the importance of good green practices, other companies such as Luna Design, who manufacture accessories such as jewellery, hanging mobiles and napkin holders have a totally green policy throughout their operations.
Firstly, they encourage their workers to work from home and are happy for their workers to be at home with their children. They encourage their workers to promote values and culture to their children as they see their parents being creative with all natural products.
All of Luna Design's products are made from natural materials and their napkin holders are made from recycled paper, when they have to use dye then only use vegetable dyes and are very proud that none of their creation use chrome or lead.
Another business in Barbados that has a green policy is Pure Source at Sunset Crest Mall on the west coast. They only sell beauty products made from natural ingredients and offer a recycling service for all empty glass and plastic bottles when you have finished the product.
Barbados is very proud of having one of the cleanest water systems in the world; our water is safe to drink from the tap as it is naturally filtered through the limestone rock that makes up the core of Barbados.
However, this water supply is under threat as all of our waste is deposited in landfills, this means that the gases from this waste eat away at the limestone and unless we start to reduce our waste in the landfills, then our water filtration system through the limestone is becoming less effective.
So encourage your children to get involved and teach them how to practice the three 'R's.
Reduce your waste by setting up an area in your garden for compost, here you can throw away leaves, branches, vegetable and fruit peelings, paper, cardboard, teabags and egg shells.
Make sure it has good ventilation and then this compost can give much needed nutrients to your soil so that you can grow your own vegetables and fruits at home and use old tyres as plant pots, by doing this you are helping the environment and saving money.
When you go grocery shopping, it is good for the environment to buy in bulk as there is less packaging and it saves you money. You can also take your own carrier bags from previous shopping trips to save on the use of plastic bags.
Some supermarkets on the island are now selling bags that are more durable and made from recyclable material to discourage shoppers from using the traditional plastic bags.
Another way to reduce oil usage around the home, especially in Barbados is to open all your windows and increase airflow instead of turning on the air conditioning or a fan. The same applies when driving as the air conditioning burns more gas.
Another way to save gas is to car pool with friends and neighbours, so instead of four cars from the same road driving four children to the same school, let just one car take all four children and take it in turns.
Around the home, get in to the practice of pulling out the plug on all appliances when they are not in use, this ensures that they are not pulling current. You will be amazed as to how much this can reduce your electricity bill each month as most appliances are still pulling current when you switch them off as they are in stand by mode.
You can also invest in energy saving light bulbs; again these have been shown to dramatically decrease your monthly light bill. Always turn off lights when you leave a room and always do full loads in the washing machine, tumble dryer and dishwasher to save on water and electricity.
In the office there are few things you can do to greatly help the environment such as using scrap paper for making notes instead of buying a notepad. Use refillable pens instead of disposable ones and the same with printer ink cartridges.
Also in this day and age with email, ask yourself whether a document needs to be printed for someone, or can you just email them a copy? If you do have to print then set the printer to double sided to save on paper.
You can also take your own cup in to the office to use for water and hot drinks instead of using throw away containers, you will be amazed at how many containers you throw away each day.
Also recycle newspapers and waste paper from around the office, later on in the article we will tell you all the recycling companies in Barbados that can help you with these unwanted items.
And finally in the office, use the stairs instead of elevator, as this is not only good for you but saves on electricity as well.
All of the advice above focuses on reducing your waste to help the environment, now we can look at how you can recycle around the home and the various recycling centres around Barbados who are willing to help you lessen your garbage load and help to decrease the amount of rubbish that you send to the landfill.
Clean Up Barbados Recycling List of Food and Drink Packaging
Clean Up Barbados Recycling List of Office and all other Bulky Goods
Ace Recycling, Massiah, St. Joseph, Barbados can be reached on (246) 423 0510. They will take all unwanted newspapers. magazines and car batteries. They also pay you for the unwanted car batteries.
Amelot Oil Barbados, Edgehill, St. Thomas, Barbados - can be reached on (246) 247-4429 or you can email them at jparlee@amelotoil.com. They will take used vegetable oil and offer compensation.
B's Bottle Depot, Cane Garden. St. Thomas, Barbados can be reached on (246) 438 9285. They will take car bumpers, washed food cans, drink bottles, local glass, ferrous metals, cast iron, cardboard, all plastics except plastic plates and cups. They also pay for all of the above recyclable products except cardboard.
Envirotech, Belle Plantation Yard, St. Michael, Barbados can be reached on (246) 265 1212 or you can email them at enviro@sunbeach.net. They will take all glass products but do not pay you for them.
Machinery and Allied Engineering Services, Elson Branch, 2nd Avenue, Deighton Road, St. Michael, Barbados can be reached on (246) 430 0207 or you can email them at maesinc@sunbeach.net. They will take automotive oil, gas and diesel for environmentally friendly disposal. They will collect by appointment and they charge a small fee for this service.
RPI, Warrens Warehouse Complex, Warrens Industrial Park, St. Michael, Barbados can be reached on (246) 425 2541 or you can email them at rpi@caribsurf.com or you can visit their web site at www.rpirecycling.com. They take non-ferrous metals such as brass, copper, aluminium and stainless steel and pay you for it.
Solid Waste Solutions and Services, Tennyson Babb can be contacted on (246) 424 8508. They take used vegetable oil, local glass, and glass drink bottles. They will collect but do not pay you.
So play your part to protect and make Barbados Green and to keep it the beautiful island that we see today for future generations to enjoy.
For more information on the work of the Future Centre Trust and see how you can help the environment please visit www.counterpartcaribbean.com.
And finally a new website www.gogreenbarbados.com has also just been launched (January 2009) to give guidance on how the community can develop better practices to protect the environment.
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