The transformation process involves efforts to change attitudes and behaviours by building the knowledge and capacities of boys, girls, men and women, who through their involvement in the school and community outreach programmes and visits to observe the actions at the WR waste site, are able to learn and see how waste, which previously was buried with harmful effects on our health and our environment, can be repurposed and reused. The positive outcomes on people’s health are evident, especially the health and well-being the of the residents in the nearby densely populated districts of Green Bay, Gray’s Farm, Perry Bay and Hatton.

WR’s efforts at building coalitions with cruise ships, hotels and utility companies to redirect their waste streams supported by related inter-agency dialogue and national sharing processes, is also providing content for national public education, as well as outreach and advocacy on the waste challenges facing the country and local workable solutions. Building synergies demonstrates a unified approach that brings high visibility at the national level and a pathway to national buy-in, which in turn brings about changes in the attitudes and behaviours of the people. Teachers are joining the local groups and advocating for the changes through school systems and educational processes. WR’s efforts have been showcased on national media, featured in six national reports and a video made of its efforts to safeguard biodiversity. WR is one of the key groups selected for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) “Plastic Waste-Free Islands” project, working with Asia Pacific Waste Consultants to engage with local people through surveys and provide data on plastics and microplastics.

WR has been manufacturing movable waste storage containers recycled from waste iron and other metals that hotels, cruise ships and utility companies can utilise in the sorting and separation process of their waste management. Most of the hotels and cruise ship ports are located in marine areas. WR is represented as one member of the executives of the newly formed Zero Waste Antigua Barbuda, an NGO, and has been very active in the “Clean is Cool” campaign in partnership with the Tourism Authority. This campaign carries out strong outreach in villages and schools and is currently implementing a national programme for the phase out and phase down of mercury by 2020. WR has been involved in providing safe disposal for light bulbs and fixtures containing mercury. In activities spearheaded by the Ministry of Trade and Consumer Affairs, WR is a key player in demonstrating actions that residents can emulate to become “sustainable consumers”.

The planning of programmes and policies related to this project has always included a wide range of partners with the vision of working together to share knowledge and information based on inclusion and wide participation in a whole- of-society approach. This has been widely recognised in the country (Annex 1).

The challenge is to bring understanding and awareness to everyone through a bottom-up approach, especially to the government technicians who draft policy documents. Efforts towards mainstreaming and integrating information from other stakeholders in other sectors are taking place. The Department of Environment’s Technical Assistance Committee must be applauded for setting up an inter- ministerial group which meets monthly and is now going on its 50th meeting. The meetings include a wide range of stakeholders, such as government technicians, the private sector, NGOs and local community representatives.

With the formation in 2018 of Zero Waste Antigua Barbuda (ZWAB), WR began to serve as treasurer and mentor of the group, which has a strong youth following (Fig. 12.6). WR has been actively involved in the ongoing programmes and activities of the new group, using it as a platform for wider stakeholder involvement. These include implementing a national mercury management programme in line with the targets of the Minamata Convention on Mercury. The programme is implemented through various pathways, including involvement of medical clinics and facilities on the island, development of new alternative products, and training of customs officials for awareness and capacity building.

The socio-ecological production landscapes and seascapes (SEPLS) approach helps to eliminate harmful practices, which in the long run negatively impact the health of ecosystems and result in deforestation and land degradation, leading to soil erosion, landslides, and flooding that impact communities. Antigua and Barbuda, as a small country, cannot afford to lose the fundamental services that our ecosystems provide, such as watershed services, soil protection, erosion control, disaster risk reduction, carbon sequestration and climate regulation. Our tourism sector, which provides 75% of our GDP, has also faced impacted with multiple types of livelihoods that support many families through eco-tourism activities at risk. Likewise, hikes, walks through nature trails, birding and other recreational services all support human and environmental health and wellness activities.

Forest and other ecosystem restoration contribute to many goals and targets set at the global and regional level under multilateral environmental agreements and other frameworks. The local groups in Antigua and Barbuda have benefited from capacity building, knowledge sharing and networking support targeted at the Caribbean and provided through the support of the Korean Government’s Forest Ecosystem Restoration Initiative (FERI). The knowledge received is helping to support local actions in the implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020 and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets. This knowledge is also helping in the peer review process for the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), and the SEPLS approach has brought many stakeholders to share in discussions and deliberations.

Antigua and Barbuda has committed and set Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) targets, and WR, a member of ZWAB, which is accredited by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), is also seeking membership in the Global Mercury Platform. WR is actively promoting local actions and building synergies and partnerships with extensive outreach to meet the LDN targets. Some- times it is the proactive local actions of groups like WR and the engagement of private citizens that awaken and spur policymakers and technicians to take actions at the national government level to protect and conserve our ecosystems. Due to overlap between the main drivers of land degradation, soil and biodiversity loss, there is great potential to bring LDN targets and policies in line with existing and future commitments on biodiversity and climate change.

WR is one of the first groups to feed data and information on metal waste into the environmental registry being set up in the government-led Environmental Information and Management System (EIMAS). WR has also made an effort to collect and share information that has been fed into the 6th National Report to the CBD. Moreover, new and additional data on adaptation and mitigation actions will also be fed into the Biennial Update Report (BUR) for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Since its inception in 2013, WR has exported more than 7500 tons of metals for recycling (Fig. 12.7). According to WR, cost of goods sold, expenses and profit respectively account for 37%, 48%, and 15% of revenue.