ENVIRONMENTAL Management Authority (EMA) managing director Hayden Romano says the attitude of people towards protecting the environment has been improving over the last 30 years.
He expressed this view when he spoke at a meeting of the Parliament's Public Administration and Appropriations Committee (PAAC) on January 8.
The committee examined the implementation of sustainable waste methodologies in alignment with specific targets under UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 11, 12 and 14.
Digital Transformation Minister Hassel Bacchus said over time, some people believe the EMA has stymied development by delaying implementation of projects because of environmental assessments needing to be done.
Bacchus asked the authority if this has changed. Romano said, "All is not lost. We live in a connected world."
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He told PAAC members people are coming to understand the role which the environment plays in development. Romano highlighted the I-Care recycle project, which involves bins for recyclable materials being placed in certain areas.
He recalled instances where these bins were removed from certain places because some people were putting garbage in them, instead of recyclable materials. Romano said when this happens there is an uproar from the communities where the bins have been pplaced.
He estimated there were approximately 700 bins nationwide in places such as the Officer of the Prime Minister at Whitehall, Port of Spain and primary, secondary and tertiary education institutions.
Romano said the funding for this project is approximately $70 million and there are plans for the Solid Waste Management Company Ltd (SWMCOL) to build on its success with wider recycling initiatives.
He added the authority is hoping the Environmental Management Act will be amended to help the authority better investigate potential environmental breaches.
SWMCOL CEO Sean De Souza was confident that after 25 years of talking, the political will exists to make beverage-container legislation a reality. He told PAAC members the matter is currently being examined by the Chief Parliamentary Counsel.
Bacchus asked about what was being done about the environmental hazards posed by used tyres.
De Souza estimated there are approximately a million tyres in circulation in TT annually.
He was grateful the University of TT (UTT) has been looking at ways to convert used tyres into aggregate for road construction. De Souza said through stakeholder collaboration environmental challenges could be converted into potential opportunities for entrpreneurship.
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"We want to find solutions that are sustainable."
Responding to a question from PAAC chairman Bridgid Annisette-George, Romano said the EMA is looking at ways to get the public more involved in environmental conservation and show this is not just the role of the government or the authority.
Director of the Basel Convention Regional Centre for Training and Technology Transfer for the Caribbean Jewel Batchasingh said the Planning and Development Ministry is examining initiatives to reduce the use of hazardous materials in the manufacture of products during Carnival and to deal with derelict vehicles.
Ministry waste management specialist Keima Gardiner said the waste disposal facilities at the San Fernando General Hospital have been improved after the end of a successful autoclave pilot project to replace an older incinerator.
Tobago House of Assembly (THA) senior director (environment climate change and energy) Linford Beckles said the assembly has taken steps over time to address the environmental problem posed by sargassum seaweed.
He added there was a recent forum to explore potential economic uses of sargassum. "We were amazed to see the bright ideas coming out of that." Beckles said one of those ideas was making cosmetics out of the seaweed.
UN SDGs 11, 12, 13
SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities: This goal aims to make cities and human settlements safe, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable. Targets include:
Access to safe, affordable, and adequate housing and basic services by 2030 Access to safe, affordable, accessible, and sustainable transport systems for all by 2030
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Protection of the world's cultural and natural heritage
Reduction of the adverse effects of natural disasters
SDG 12: Responsible consumption and production: This goal aims to ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
SDG 14: Life below water. This goal aims to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development. Healthy oceans and seas are essential to human existence and life on earth.
