If you don't know much about St. Kitts, neither did I. It's one of two islands that makes up St. Kitts and Nevis, a small country in the Caribbean. And while it has beautiful beaches and rainforests (so I hear), what it doesn't have is recycling. That's right! This island has no way to recycle anything, including aluminum and glass, meaning that everything ends up in a landfill. Heart of St. Kitts Foundation writes, "According to a World Bank report published in 2012, St. Kitts and Nevis is ranked number 4 among countries that generate the most trash per capita per day. With 5.45 kilograms of trash per capita every day, St. Kitts knows a recycling system is not only needed, but mandatory. Without a proper recycling program, pressure will continue to build on the island’s only landfill." I've been talking with some students at the Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, which is located on St. Kitts, about working together to solve this problem. Fortunately, the grocery chains on St. Kitts are really encouraging shoppers to bring their reusable bags! Reusable bags aren't easy to find on the island though, and they are expensive, making them prohibitive for most shoppers when plastic bags are free.
Bags for the Ocean is excited to starting a chapter at Ross University of Veterinary Medicine. Our goal for the next academic year is to distribute 1,000 reusable bags at local grocery stores. Since each t-shirt grocery bag can hold approximately 3 plastic bag's worth of items, we should be eliminating 3,000 plastic bags/week from the local landfills. It's not enough, but it's a great start! The local grocery store has allowed us to distribute bags to their shoppers, and we are hopeful that this might build a relationship to encourage other recycling measures.
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B4tOThis little project is growing! Thanks to everyone who's been involved so far. You can get involved too! Archives
December 2018
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