Eco Montserrat is continuing its work to help the island use less plastic.
With St. Patrick’s Festival moving into its first full week, so increases the need for more disposal products for all the food and drinking that happens across the island.
Andrew Myers and Emmy Aston of Eco Montserrat are prepared to deliver thousands of pieces of environmentally-friendly products such as straws, bamboo forks and large green reusable bags for collecting glass bottles.
Eco Montserrat won a Darwin Initiative grant in 2019 and the three-year project will see them work to educate the population about alternative ways to deliver quality service products without further destroying the environment. During the December carnival, the non-profit delivered paper straws, T-shirts and other utensils for booth owners at the festival village.
One of the major efforts is the ongoing glass recycling project. There are drop off points from Lookout to Salem. At these large bins, which are clearly marked Glass Only, you can place the glass bottles. The public is encouraged to ensure it is glass bottles only and not to dispose regular trash or plastics in the bins.
The glass is then crushed and can be used for various decorating ideas. Some people use it as part of their garden landscaping projects. The couple, who also own Scuba Montserrat turn the bottles into beautiful glasses which can be purchased at their bar in Marine Village.
“All around the world people are recycling but it wasn’t happening here and we wanted to get that started,” explained Myers. He expressed thanks to Darwin Initiative for the grant.
Over the coming days, they plan to deliver paper straws, soup spoons, some out of banana leaves, and 12,000 paper cups.
“It’s been quite amazing how everyone has embraced it (the project) and we are excited in seeing Montserrat get greener,” added Myers.
See their interview in the latest episode of Emerald Vibes TV https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZt0KHWUoT0
