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The Trinidad and Tobago Eco-Divers Club, the only local community to conduct underwater clean up exercises, received a significant contribution of eighty thousand dollar (TT$80,000) from Massy Stores Trinidad on March 15th, 2019.

The contribution will be used to acquire airlift bags to remove underwater waste as well as marker buoys and diving equipment to support the club in their clean-up efforts, at the start of the turtle nesting season.

“The turtle population, particularly those who nest along our north west coastlines suffer tremendously as a result of plastic pollution. Hawksbill turtles in particular get disoriented and die in a sea of plastic when they come ashore. Juveniles especially become trapped or injured by plastic and other items. Overall, the marine life in that area of Trinidad and Tobago is under serious threat. At the very least, Massy’s donation will help us to remove waste and hopefully safeguard the turtle population in the area,” commented Shari Wellington-Griffith, Chairman, Trinidad and Tobago Eco-Divers Club.

“The airlift bags will help us to bring underwater waste, such as plastic waste lodged between rocks, to the surface more efficiently so that we can remove it from the marine environment,” she added.

This partnership is the first of many partnerships to come, following Massy Stores’ decision in 2018 to reduce the impact of plastic waste by implementing a charge for single-use plastic bags.

Thomas Pantin, Executive Chairman, Massy’s Retail Line of Business said “we made a commitment last year to our customers that the proceeds from the sale of plastic bags would be donated to support environmental sustainability. Our philosophy, which will guide how we select groups and projects to support, is to empower communities, such as the community of divers of the T&T Eco Divers Club, in their efforts to remove plastic waste from the environment.”

Since the implementation of the charge for plastic bags, Massy Stores Trinidad has experienced a 90% reduction in single-use bags circulated from our stores, nationwide.

About Trinidad and Tobago Eco-Divers Club

The Trinidad and Tobago Eco-Divers Club, registered in 2011, is an eco-focused network of experienced divers focused on improving the marine life in the coastal areas of Trinidad and Tobago. They have been a key strategic partner with the International Coastal Clean Up (ICC) for the past 6 years and since inception, they have undertaken over 30 underwater clean up exercises.

Massy United Insurance Ltd., officially entered the general insurance market in Jamaica with the official launch of its branch there last Wednesday. Massy United Insurance Ltd. is among the top five Regional Property and Casualty Insurance Companies in the Caribbean operating in nineteen territories in the English- and Dutch-speaking Caribbean. MUI has established a strong reputation for customer service and responsiveness and this along with our A.M. Best A- (Excellent) rating, for thirteen consecutive years, has positioned the company to be a formidable force in the wider Caribbean.
The Jamaican operation, which has been in business since last November, is headed by Winsome Gibbs, a chartered insurer, who will also oversee the company’s operations in the Cayman Islands.The company hosted an event to formally launch the Jamaica office which was attended by executives of Massy from Jamaica, Trinidad and Barbados, the local General Insurance Industry and affiliated business partners. The Honourable Dr. Nigel Clarke, Minister of Finance and the Public Service along with Randy Graham – MUI CEO and other MUI and Massy executives, cut the ribbon to officially open the MUI office in PanJam Building, 60 Knutsford Boulevard, New Kingston.

Massy Stores distributes over 70,000 free reusable bags regionally in its #NoPlastic drive

Massy Stores is conscious of how our actions impact the environment. Across the region, we promoted the use of environmentally friendly reusable bags by introducing a nominal fee on single use plastic bags to share the responsibility, with our customers, of reducing the distribution of plastic in the environment. To date, utilization of single-use plastic bags has reduced by as much as 60%-90% across our stores.

The #NoPlastic initiative also included a more focused drive to recycle waste. In Trinidad and Tobago, we partnered with Kansmacker International to install reverse vending machines at key locations. These machines enable the proper disposal and recycling of plastic and glass bottles, as well as aluminium cans and reward customers with Massy points. Similarly, in Barbados, a recycling trailer was installed at one of our largest supermarket locations to facilitate recycling of plastics, aluminum cans and glass bottles. In St. Lucia, we also offered Massy points to customers who surrendered plastic and glass waste at the weekend recycling pop-up depots located outside our stores. Through the pilot phase of the project 5.3 metric tons of waste was recovered.

Massy Stores has also been reducing the use of Styrofoam packaging across our regional operations. While the legislated ban in Guyana and St. Vincent & The Grenadines has already ensured the complete elimination of Styrofoam in those territories, our other regional operations have voluntarily begun the transition in this direction. Sourcing appropriate biodegradable packaging is a process already in train.

Education and collaboration continue to fuel the change in the communities we touch across the Caribbean.

Sidebar Quote:
“We acknowledge that we may not get the desired end-result in one day. Full implementation across all territories and across all 49 locations will take time. We can only achieve this goal through a phased approach as there are many aspects involved. We remain committed to doing our part, sharing best practices across the region, listening to our stakeholders and collaborating with our diverse, valued customers to be A Force for Good.”
-Thomas Pantin, Chairman, Retail Line of Business, Massy Group