This edifice, known as the Village of St. George Shopping Centre, is among the structures in Port Antonio that helps capture the old world charm that the coastal town radiates.-Rudolph BrownJamaica has devised a means of trading manufactured waste, to be done via a virtual platform, the University of the West Indies announced Wednesday.
Called the Jamaica Waste Exchange, its operation is banked on data management systems devised by a team headed by Professor Anthony Clayton, UWI's Alcan Professor of Caribbean Sustainable Development.
The new virtual market for waste will offer local manufacturers access to materials for secondary recycling, as well as the opportunity to sell their own waste, both within the context of boosting competitiveness by providing a cheaper source of inputs, and devising solutions to the problem of industrial waste disposal.
"The Exchange is a new on-line facility that will be operated by Premier Waste Management and Infochannel on behalf of the Business Council for the Environment," said the University's Social Science's Faculty. The Exchange was developed by UWI with support from the Canadian financed, Environmental Action Programme (ENACT).
Trades will be confined initially to Jamaican manufacturers, but the intent is eventually to link into North America and the Caribbean region once the market has been tested.
The Exchange can be accessed at www.wastex.org.jm where material waste in the categories of agriculture and soils, paper and cardboard, fuels, oils and fluids, chemicals and plastics, and building and demolition, will be posted. But the site is not yet operational.
Patrick Terrelonge of Infochannel, host of the site, says that is a matter to be determined by Premier, but adds that he understands it will be quite a while yet before the site goes up. Premier's general manager was said to be off the island and no one else could comment.
"Firms trading on the Exchange will be able to post information about their waste products, search and source materials available from other firms, access timely information as to the nature, quality and quantity of materials on the market, then contact each other directly to arrange sales and delivery," said the University via release.
Buyers and sellers will be able to communicate directly. Premier will handle registrations of 'waste available' 'waste wanted', and 'waste service available'.
ENACT has been working with a number of Jamaican industries to devise programmes that will mitigate environmental impact, including coffee whose farming and manufacturing processes, and waste disposal habits are being re-assessed as the industry sets strategies to remain competitive in an increasingly 'green' conscious world market.
In 2000, some $64.7m was expended under ENACT through its executing agencies, Jamaica's National Environment Protection Agency and Canada's Dessau-Soprin Marbek joint venture.
The University says the waste exchange forms an important component of a research programme being run by Professor Clayton on eco-industrial solutions that will give local businesses an edge, and "provide the basis for a model of inter-industry symbiosis."
Running an enviro-friendly manufacturing operation can be a very high cost proposition. Eco-solutions essentially seek out cheap raw materials for use in the production process. Low cost inputs help reduce unit costs, which is the benchmark measure of productivity.
The UWI team that developed the Exchange also included Professor Han Reichgelt, student John Muirhead, and research assistant Nella Stewart. Funding came from ENACT.
The Exchange was launched officially on Wednesday when UWI and ENACT formally transferred responsibility for the Exchange to Premier and Infochannel.
