Basseterre, St. Kitts, March 22, 2021 (SKNIS): The Ministry of Health, in collaboration with Lake Health and Wellbeing, has launched a public awareness campaign called “You’re Sweet Enough” in order to raise awareness of the harmful effects of consuming Sugar-Sweetened Beverages (SSBs) and to encourage the public to drink more water.
The campaign was launched on March 22, 2021, at the Solid Waste Management Corporation Conference Room.
According to Isalean Phillip, Advocacy and Research Officer for Lake Health and Welbeing, who spoke at the event, regular consumption of sugary drinks is found to be linked to weight gain and obesity, which are very common risk factors for developing Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, hypertension, stroke, and various forms of cancer.
In St. Kitts and Nevis, Non-communicable Diseases are the leading cause of death, she said, noting that Lake Health and Wellbeing is committed to improving the health and wellbeing of all our communities.
“In so doing, we are happy to work along with the Government in collaboration with the Ministry of Health to combat these health challenges,” she said. “So, today, we are extremely excited to launch the “You’re Sweet Enough” Campaign, which is developed to mobilize the public to make healthy choices and drink water instead of sugary drinks.
Ms. Phillip stated that the campaign will be ongoing for nine months and will utilize various platforms to spread awareness and educate the public about the health effects of consuming sugary drinks.
“Everyone can look forward to seeing and hearing campaign messages via social media, music, videos, animations, billboards, and we will also be engaging with the public with research surveys, information sessions, and events with experts, stakeholders, and other collaborators,” she said.
The Research Officer said that with the campaign, Lake Health and Wellbeing is committed to supporting the Ministry of Health in advancing its action plan for the prevention of Non-Communicable Diseases in St. Kitts and Nevis.
Dr. Marissa Carty, NCD Coordinator, who also spoke at the event, stated that the Ministry of Health recognizes that urgent action is needed in protecting the health of the nation and effectively combating the negative effects of excess sugar consumption.
“As such, the Ministry of Health is grateful for the opportunity to partner with Lake Health and Wellbeing in this public awareness campaign,” she said. “This campaign will afford the opportunity to share evidence-based information about SSBs to specific audiences regarding the harmful health effects of SSB consumption and to suggest healthy beverage choices such as water [instead of] the deceptive and manipulative marketing of SSBs to vulnerable communities and demographics such as children, youth and young adults.”
Dr. Carty stated that there is also a need for the implementation of adequate food labelling for sugar sweetened beverages. She added that the accessibility of SSBs can be reduced by implementing measures such as a Sweetened Beverage Tax in an effort to build support from the public and private sector stakeholders.
“Therefore, the ultimate goal of this campaign includes increased knowledge about health problems associated with intake of added sugars in Sugar-Sweetened Beverages and a behavioural change to reduce the consumption of SSBs,” she said.
Dr. Carty said that the Ministry of Health stands ready to support the campaign by encouraging the general public to “drink some water, share some love, and tell somebody “You’re Sweet Enough.”
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, December 21, 2020 (SKNIS): The Management and Staff of the Solid Waste Management Corporation (SWMC) has been commended for its tremendous effort to keep St. Kitts and Nevis clean.
Minister responsible for Solid Waste, the Honourable Eugene Hamilton, said the agency is a key component to the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis’ waste separation programme based on the three Rs – “Re-use, Reduce, Recycle.”
The aim is to transform the twin-island Federation into a zero-waste nation.
Plastics are a key part of this strategy as Cabinet has agreed in principle to ban single-use plastics in the near future. Scrap metals are also being removed as part of an arrangement with Enclave Resource – a full serving recycling and waste management company operating in the Caribbean.
“So far Madame Deputy Speaker, they have bailed out of the country over 10 million pounds of metal,” Minister Hamilton said in the National Assembly Chambers on December 21, 2020, during his presentation to the Budget Debate.
The minister stated that the absence of vector-borne diseases in the country is testimony to SWMC’s efforts to promote a healthy and sustainable environment.
He noted that efforts need public support and urged persons to stop littering and refrain from illegal dumping practices that have become an issue in the Federation.
]]>BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, September 15, 2020 (S.T.E.P.) — Chair of the St. Kitts Sustainable Destination Council (SDC), Mrs Diannille Taylor-Williams, is applauding the SOL Island Auto Conaree Football Club and its President Mr Delwayne Delaney who on Saturday September 12 mobilised members of the Conaree community in a successful community clean-up exercise.
“The Sustainable Destination Council and the Skills Training Empowerment Programme (STEP) have partnered with the Conaree Football Club with this clean-up day,” said Mrs Taylor-Williams, who is also the Assistant Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism.
According to Mrs Taylor-Williams the Conaree Community clean-up exercise, which is held annually around the Independence weekend, was timely as it coincided with Sustainable Destination Council’s ‘Keeping COVID out by cleaning up’ Community Clean Up campaign.
“This is an initiative that is spearheaded by the community rather than us going into the community and asking them to join us, so we were happy to be a part of the activity,” said Mrs Taylor-Williams. “We donated some gloves and some masks for the persons who are participating.”
Since the ‘Keeping COVID out by cleaning up’ Community Clean Up campaign started, members of the coalition that include St. Kitts Sustainable Destination Council, Department of Environment, Skills Training Empowerment Programme (STEP), Parks and Beaches Unit, Solid Waste Management Corporation (SWMC) and the Ministry of Tourism would go out and collect garbage strewn all over the place.
She described the Conaree clean-up as a different initiative as community members had been mobilised by the Conaree Football Club to bring out their waste and to put it outside their yards, and all the clean-up team did was to pick it up and load it on two trucks that made several trips to the landfill.
“I would like to salute the Conaree Football Club, and Mr Delwayne Delaney in particular, for this initiative,” said Mrs Taylor-Williams. “It started four years ago and it has continued. Sometimes people start initiatives like these and they do not last. The fact that we are here today, this is the fourth year, is something that should be applauded and I really want to applaud him for his initiative. And he is not just organising and directing people, he is actively involved in the removal of the waste – so, kudos to him and his team.”
Mr Jason McKoy, STEP Senior Field Officer, said that he mobilised STEP Community Enhancement workers from Keys, Conaree, Needsmust and the National Heroes Park to join in the community clean-up in Conaree Village.
“In the absence of the Parks and Beaches Unit who were engaged elsewhere as a result of Independence celebration activities, Skills Training Empowerment Programme stepped forward and took on the mantle with the Conaree Football Club and the Conaree community,” said Mr McKoy.
The STEP official added: “I want to say congratulations to the Conaree Football Club and their President because this is their fourth clean-up campaign and I think it is a success, as he has coordinated the two trucks properly. I also want to congratulate the community for making our work easy by cooperating with us.”
President of SOL Island Auto Conaree Football Club, Mr Delwayne Delaney, said it was the fourth year in a row they were doing the clean-up and he thanked the St. Kitts Sustainable Destination Council and STEP workers who joined them this year and were very helpful.
“The numbers have increased tremendously and as the saying goes, plenty hands make work light, so we are definitely grateful for that,” said Mr Delaney. “We started our promotions about two weeks ago, where we decided to sensitise the general public as per usual, get waste and the stuff you need discard off to the front of your lawn and when we come around we lend a helping hand in showing that we get them on the trucks to take them to the landfill.”
Mr Delaney thanked two local entrepreneurs, KJ’s Trucking and Legacy Earthworks, who provided two trucks at no cost to the clean-up team. The two trucks helped carry the waste which included white goods, general household waste and green waste to the landfill, making several trips.
“I must say thank you to St. Kitts and Nevis Disposals (SKANDIS) as well because if you walk around at different points in the community there are dumpsters provided free of charge by SKANDIS,” observed Mr Delaney. “There are four dumpsters, one at Needsmust and three in Conaree Village. That again provides some ease for when there is dumping to be done, trash can be discarded in those dumpsters.”
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, September 10, 2020 (SKNIS): Minister with responsibility for the Solid Waste Management Corporation (SWMC), the Honourable Eugene Hamilton, indicated that to boost the organization’s domestic waste collection programme it will be implementing an additional afternoon shift.
“We are doing all of this as we move towards considering waste to energy in St. Kitts and Nevis,” said Minister Hamilton on Tuesday’s (September 08) edition of ‘Leadership Matters’, a virtual forum on ZIZ TV.
Minister Hamilton noted that such an initiative will create jobs.
“I believe that for the taxi drivers and even for some unemployed hotel workers who may possess the necessary class driver’s license should be employed as temporary environment and domestic waster collectors until the tourism industry begins,” said the minister.
He added that despite being faced with COVID-19 challenges in the past months, SWMC was able to function as the organization ensured that garbage was collected from households and businesses.
“…We were able to continue our regular programme of removing waste and taking it to our landfill. During the lockdown, there was no substantial interruption in the movement of waste from homes,” he said. “You have benefited from the government’s project of waste bins to bring some measure of control and to measure the quality of waste that is being disposed of by our households and our businesses as well and I am pleased that we did not have any interruptions during the period of the pandemic.”
The minister thanked those workers who, despite the challenges faced by COVID-19, continue to perform exemplary.
]]>BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, August 31, 2020 (S.T.E.P.) — The second in a series of Community Clean Up activities held under the theme ‘Keeping Covid out by cleaning up’ took place on Saturday August 29, and the area of concentration was the Fort Thomas Hotel in West Basseterre.
The event, which was coordinated by the St. Kitts Sustainable Destination Council, saw stakeholders from Solid Waste Management Corporation (SWMC), Ministry of Tourism, Department of Environment, Skills Training Empowerment Programme (STEP), Parks and Beaches, and Volunteer Corps of the Department of Youth Empowerment take part in the noble exercise.
Skills Training Empowerment Programme (STEP) Senior Field Officer, Mr Jason McKoy, who coordinated STEP Community Enhancement Workers from West Basseterre as they worked alongside the other stakeholders, said he was happy with what they were able to accomplish.
“The Fort Thomas Hotel is of historical significance to our country, and it is sad that some of our people have turned the area into a second landfill,” lamented Mr McKoy. “I want to thank Mrs Diannille Taylor-Williams, the Chair of St. Kitts Sustainable Destination Council for ensuring that ‘Keeping Covid out by cleaning up’ is not an empty slogan. People have answered to the call to keep their country clean, and we are marching on.”
Mr McKoy also thanked Ms Shaline Welcome, Community Tourism Officer, who has been working hand in hand with Mrs Taylor-Williams in the campaign to keep the country clean. Mrs Diannille Taylor-Williams is the Assistant Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism.
The first Community Clean Up activity was held on Saturday August 15 and the areas of focus were the Basseterre Valley Aquifer, and around the fisheries complex in Basseterre.
The second Community clean up activity under the theme ‘Keeping Covid out by cleaning up’ at the Fort Thomas Hotel was supposed to have been held on Saturday August 22, but was put off as a result of the passage of Tropical Storm (later Hurricane) Laura.
“I am happy that my field officers, Mr Cleneiro McMahon and Mr Damien Weekes, were able to mobilise our community enhancement workers in West Basseterre and from the cleaning aspect of it we have done a pretty much good job,” said Mr McKoy. “We want to ensure that Fort Thomas Hotel does not go back to where it was. It will be maintained by the Parks and Beaches Unit and the STEP workers.”
The STEP Senior Field Officer noted that through the efforts of Mrs Diannille Taylor-Williams, a corporate citizen – Rock and Dirt Construction Ltd – provided a backhoe which assisted in removing littered garbage on the compound and placing it in the dumpsters provided by the Solid Waste Management Corporation.
“I am proud of our STEP Community Enhancement Workers as they have done a good job in a short time and for them to say they will come back to finish the work, that deserves great commendation,” said Mr McKoy. “I know they will work in collaboration with the Parks and Beaches Unit to keep this our historical place in its best shape possible.”
In the meantime, STEP Supervisor for the West Basseterre area Mr Dwight Hodge noted that there was plenty of work to do including cutting of the tall grass and bushes growing in the compound. The trash was later loaded onto a pickup owned by one of their contemporaries, Mr Joseph ‘Michael’ Howell, who took it to the landfill.
“My team is a happy team – all the time we take pride in keeping our country clean,” said Mr Hodge. “There was plenty of work for us to do, and as you can see we ain’t finish as there is still more to do. In this respect, my team will come back on Monday.”
The Community Clean Up campaign under the theme ‘Keeping Covid out by cleaning up’ moves to the Shadwell and College Street Ghaut areas of Central Basseterre on Saturday September 5. According to Mr Jason McKoy, STEP Community Enhancement workers to be involved in that exercise will be drawn from the Shadwell and Monkey Hill areas.
]]>BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, August 18, 2020 (S.T.E.P.) — Persons turned out in their numbers on Saturday August 15 to take part in the first Community Clean Up campaign held under the theme ‘Keeping Covid out by cleaning up’, and Director in the Department of Environment Ms June Hughes says the exercise provided stimulus for communities in cleaning their sites.
“I was extremely encouraged by the number of persons who came out to assist in cleaning the various sites, and I hope we can see this amount and maybe great numbers coming out to the other sites,” said Ms Hughes who took part in the exercise that covered areas of the New Town community that included the Basseterre Water Aquifer and the fisheries complex.
“Because we just provided a little stimulus for the communities in cleaning their sites, we want and are encouraging each other not to litter – not to throw waste where it does not belong,” said the Director. “So I am hopeful that maybe by the time we get to our last site the communities would have already cleaned it before, and we just go out to smile.”
The event which was planned and executed under the auspices of the St. Kitts Sustainable Destination Council, had stakeholders from the Ministry of Tourism, Solid Waste Management Corporation (SWMC), Skills Training Empowerment Programme (STEP), Public Works Department, Parks and Beaches, and Volunteer Corps of the Department of Youth Empowerment taking part in the clean-up.
With Ms Hughes from the Department of Environment for the clean-up were Mr Derionne Edmeade, Environment Education Officer; Ms Cheryl Jeffers, Conservation Officer; Ms Phynora Ible, Consultant on Conserving Biodiversity Project; and Mr Eavin Parry, Environment Scientist.
The Director in the Department of Environment said that they were happy to join hands with the other stakeholders and members of the New Town community to help in cleaning the sites around the Basseterre Valley Aquifer and the fisheries complex area which she noted were very dirty.
“I always knew what the problem was, so it wasn’t eye opening for me, but it was still extremely disheartening and extremely of concern that we cause this – this is from our actions,” observed Ms Hughes. “The paper does not fly there – the bottles do not fly there. We people actively litter for no reason because to carry waste to the landfill is extremely cheap. So we have no excuse for causing such great harm to our natural environment.”
The meantime, Mr Derionne Edmeade, Environment Education Officer, added that the idea behind the entire activity was to try and find ways in which they can not only clean up but at the same time sensitise persons of the impacts that their waste would have on the physical environment, whether marine or the forested areas.
“We are here in this joint collaborative effort to try to clean up eyesore areas within St. Kitts, and hopefully we could share this with our partner island Nevis,” said Mr Edmeade. “As we clean we are just encouraging persons and I am hoping that onlookers would realise that what they would have been engaged in, in term of littering, is not a positive action. It is not something that would encourage for example our tourists to come.”
According to the Environment Education Officer, they were hoping that as they continue “these efforts from today on, and onwards, that other persons and other groups would actually join in with this collaborative efforts for all of us to find ways in which we can help to beautify St. Kitts. It is the island that we love. We say ‘I love St. Kitts’, so we have to find ways to really bring out that love within the physical environment.”
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, August 17, 2020 (SKNIS): The St. Kitts Sustainable Destination Council along with other stakeholders engaged in a community clean up on August 15, 2020, at the Aquifer area and Fisheries Complex in Basseterre.
This community cleanup was held under the theme “Keeping Covid Out By Cleaning Up” as a means of safeguard the nation against COVID-19 by cleaning up surrounding areas and creating a healthier St. Kitts.
In an interview with Chairperson of the St. Kitts Sustainable Destination Council, Diannille Taylor-Williams, she highlighted that the Aquifer was one of the most pressing areas for cleanup because it supplies most of the water in East Basseterre.
She also outlined that some of the items found around the area were old refrigerators, washing machines and various household supplies.
The cleanup crew which comprised of approximately 80 persons with 30 volunteers from the Department of Youth filled over 120 large black garbage bags and two dumpsters with waste materials found at the Aquifer and Fisheries Complex.
Mrs. Taylor-Williams identified the Fort Thomas area and surrounding areas as the next place designated to be a part of the community clean up.
The event was organised by the St. Kitts Sustainable Destination Council, the Ministry of Tourism, the Solid Waste Management Corporation, the Department of Environment, Skills Training Empowerment Programme and the Parks and Beaches Unit.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, July 13, 2020 (Solid Waste Management Corporation): The problem of illegal dumping continues to be a problem on St. Kitts. Recently, the Solid Waste Management Corporation (SWMC) was alerted by a resident of West Farm to an illegal dumping site in the West Farm Ghaut. The SWMC team was greeted by a strong stench emanating from the decomposing body of a goat found dumped in the heart of the garbage. The illegal dumpsite contained construction and household waste. “It’s not just ordinary garbage that the (garbage) truck would come around and collect. You could see that they were cleaning a house and dispose all their garbage,” observed Solid Waste Collections Manager Inita Lake
Garbage was also seen strewn next to the pathway to the dumping site, including old refrigerators, stoves television sets. She bemoaned the environmental hazard this garbage heap could cause, considering the waste was dumped into the Ghaut, literally blocking the waterway. “This is the mouth of the Ghaut and this is hurricane season. So in the event the water comes down, it is blocked and this can cause flooding,” the SWMC Collections Manager said. “This is bad, this is terrible…this is just not right.”
Ms. Lake is advising persons and businesses that contract garbage haulers not to pay them upfront until the garbage is delivered to the landfill and a receipt is produced to prove the garbage was indeed dumped at the landfill. “When you are hiring a hauler to take your garbage to the landfill, please do not pay them upfront because it appears that people are taking money to dispose the goods and they carry them in the grass, in the bushes, in the hills and take the people’s money and they don’t take them to the landfill or bring back a receipt. What we are saying is if you are going to hire a hauler, make sure that they take the items to the landfill then bring back the receipt and you reimburse them,” she explained. She added that if evidence is found linking anyone to an illegal dumpsite, that person will be held liable.
The SWMC official suspects that the garbage was done by a hauler who would have been paid to dump the garbage at the landfill. She said the challenges with illegal dumpsites is that it harbors further dumping as persons seeing such garbage will continue dumping there, and this is wrong. She warned of serious consequences if the perpetrators are caught dumping garbage in areas other than the landfill.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, July 13, 2020 (The St. Christopher and Nevis Solid Waste Management Corporation): The Solid Waste Management Corporation (SWMC) continues to warn persons against dumping garbage in places other than the Sanitary Landfill in Conaree. After discovering an illegal dumpsite in West Farm recently, SWMC Collections Manager Inita Lake also visited a location on the Irish Town Bay Road, containing plastic bottles, bags and an old bed. “These garbage can go in a bin and taken to the landfill and persons use here as an area they can just dump. This is a bed that somebody literally put here,” Ms Lake lamented.
Ms Lake believes most of the garbage found there is commercial waste and said businesses must take greater responsibility in their garbage disposal. She said the SWMC, through its Nosy Program, can assist businesses with garbage collection and disposal solutions. “It appears to me that someone who is running a restaurant and would have cleaned up and would come and dump them. All the plastic bottles, and Styrofoam…these are items that can be stored in bins,” she said. “Solid Waste provides a service that can assist every commercial place in St. Kitts…that’s the Nosy program and it’s just next to nothing. Small businesses don’t have to pay much,” Ms. Lake added. She promised that the SWMC will be staking out in certain places to watch for persons dumping garbage illegally.
Meanwhile, just up the road from that location in Fortlands at the Fort Thomas Hotel, a strewn of garbage heaps littered the yard of the old hotel site. Most appeared to be construction and household waste including shingles, pallets, an old toilet bowl and green waste. Garbage was also seen dumped along the shoreline beyond the hotel site. Persons caught dumping garbage illegally can be ticketed and fined a minimum of $500. Refusal to pay this fine, can result in a court appearance and a further fine of up to $20,000.
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