DITCH THE PLASTIC TRINIDAD & TOBAGO: THE DYNAMICS OF A MULTI-SECTORAL SCHOOL-COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP

Abstract

In the Caribbean, the average person contributes about 5 kg of plastic waste per day, one of the highest in the world. However, for Trinidad and Tobago (TT) this is about 1.59 kg. A 2018 report found TT produces roughly 200,000 tonnes of waste annually, with 25% coming from plastics, especially from single-use packaging plastic. Though 55% of plastics end up in landfills, just 19% is recycled. In light of this, TT is about to pass legislation to recycle, recover and re-use waste materials and encourages collaboration among NGOs, CBOs, the private sector and government agencies to educate the public on the impact of plastic waste on health and the environment. Such education is urgently needed as a national survey of secondary school population in 2016 found that just 63% possess a pro-environmental disposition and just 51% were environmentally literate. Involvement of all citizens, in particular, youth who will inherit this problem, is clearly needed to advocate for control and elimination of single use plastic. Building environmental awareness of youth and their communities can be accomplished through advocacy in multi-sectoral partnerships, seen as beneficial to learning for sustainability. The success of such partnerships is contingent on the capacity of stakeholders to articulate a common vision, and negotiate issues of power, accountability and collaboration while being sensitive to cultural context. This study presents an analysis of a multi-sectoral partnership in a semi-rural district in TT. The partnership advocated for the replacement of single use plastic shopping bags with reusable bags, a project which took place over the course of one year. Partners included local and foreign universities, environmental agencies, secondary schools, and community members of the main partner school. Multi-sectoral partnerships which cross international borders then present unique challenges. The study sought to determine the structures and processes that facilitated the partnership, using a case study design. Data was collected through Interviews of stakeholders, and analysis of artefacts (minutes of meetings, reports, events, and products). Initial themes emerging through thematic analysis included a common vision, equitable power sharing, camaraderie, agency, national and community visibility and status. Few studies of this nature have been done in TT or the Caribbean, and as such the study has potential for providing important understandings of tools and processes for enhancing school-community partnerships in the cultural context of small island developing states