Chemistry Report

Pollution Prevention Awareness

in Antigua and Barbuda

Teacher: Ms. Trudy Jackson

Name: Razonique Looby
Table of Contents

- Introduction
- Background
- Main Body

- Conclusion
INTRODUCTION

The US EPA defines pollution prevention (P2) as any practice that reduces, eliminates, or
prevents pollution at its source before it is created. Preventing pollution is preferable to
pollution reduction stratagem such as recycling, treatment or disposal. The EPA maintains
that it is often more cost effective to prevent the creation of pollution than paying for the
control, treatment and disposal of waste products. Less pollution generates less damage
to human life and the environment. When less pollution is created, there are fewer
impacts to human health and the environment.
This survey report aims to assess the level of pollution prevention and awareness in
Antigua and Barbuda. It will provide insights into the current state of pollution, the
effectiveness of waste management facilities, and the level of public awareness and
behaviour towards pollution prevention. The findings of this report will inform policy and
action towards sustainable development and pollution prevention in Antigua and
Barbuda.
BACKGROUND

Pollution is the addition of any substance (solid, liquid, or gas) or any form of energy (such
as heat, sound, or radioactivity) to the environment at a rate faster than it can be
dispersed, diluted, decomposed, recycled, or stored in some harmless form (Encyclopedia
Britannica, n.d.) is largely assumed to be anthropogenic. Pollution can have negative
effects on the environment, human health, and the economy. The prevention and
awareness of pollution are therefore critical for sustainable development.
In Antigua and Barbuda, pollution is a major concern, particularly in the areas of water,
solid waste, and atmospheric pollution.
Water pollution sources include:
- Industrial activities, which often produce waste water containing hazardous materials
and contaminants such as heavy metals, solvents, and chemicals.
- Agricultural operations which can create excessive run-off carrying fertilisers such as
nitrates and phosphates, pesticides, and herbicides into nearby water bodies.
- Municipal wastewater discharge containing human and animal waste, pathogens,
chemicals such as chlorine and heavy metals.
Solid waste pollution sources include:
- Industrial operations can generate hazardous solid waste, such as toxic sludge, heavy
metals, electronic waste, and radioactive materials.
- Municipal solid waste containing food scraps, paper, plastic, yard waste, etc., and if not
properly handled or disposed of, can cause methane emissions and poor quality of
groundwater and air pollution.
-Electronic waste generated from the millions of discarded electronic devices
Atmospheric pollution sources include:
- Fossil fuel combustion produces pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxide
in addition to carbon dioxide, which drives climate change.
- Transportation - vehicles produce pollutants such as nitrogen oxide, sulphur dioxide and
carbon monoxide.
Greenhouse gases such as water vapour, carbon and methane trap heat in the earth’s
atmosphere, causing the greenhouse effect (where heat is absorbed by the atmosphere
and re-radiated in all directions so that the temperature of the Earth’s surface and
atmosphere is higher than if it were heated directly by radiation from the Sun.
Significant measures have been undertaken by the government to control plastic
The government of Antigua and Barbuda have implemented several laws and policies to
improve pollution prevention, including the:
• Environmental Protection Levy Act (2002) which introduced levy fees on imported
cans and bottles.
• The External Trade (Shopping Plastic Bags Prohibition) Order (2017) prohibiting the
importation, distribution, sale, and use of shopping plastic bags and styrofoam.
• Litter Control and Prevention Act (2019) which has made illegal to litter in any
public place.
Despite these laws, pollution continues and the government has established several waste
management facilities, including a major landfill and has associated with a few recycling
centres to manage waste in the nation. However, these facilities face challenges such as
inadequate funding and limited capacity. There is therefore a need to enhance waste
management practices to prevent pollution and promote sustainable development.
Pollution prevention is critical in Antigua and Barbuda to protect the environment,
human health, and the economy. Public awareness and education are essential to
promote behaviour change that supports pollution prevention.
The survey was intended to assess the Antiguan public’s knowledge of pollution
prevention measures currently in place and the extent of their willingness to adopt
additional measures to counteract pollution. Data was collected via an online survey
consisting of 21 closed and open ended questions over a period of two days (April 6-7th
2023). The 34 respondents were Antiguan young adults (ranging from college age to 35
years old) selected via convenience sampling. Participants were asked to answer
questions about their awareness of the types of pollution present on the island, the
facilities and procedures in place for risk management, their present engagement with
pollution prevention strategies and their likelihood of engaging in the future. They were
also asked to suggest reasons for the shirking of laws related to pollution prevention and
for their recommendations of future waste reduction strategies.
BODY

Public Awareness
All participants were aware of pollution, with the majority of respondents (64%)
self-reporting as being very aware of issues surrounding air, water and land pollution.
When asked what type of pollution they knew most about and which type they knew
least about, participants knew most about land pollution (58.8%) and least about air
pollution (48.5%), with water pollution being a significant second (36.4%).

Figure 1: Pie Chart Showing The Type of Pollution Respondents Know Most About

Figure 2: Pie Chart Showing The Type of Pollution Respondents Know Least About

Responses to a question of the greatest source of pollution were interesting. 50% of

respondents agreed that the greatest source of pollution was local businesses/industry
and 20% of persons selected households, but only 6% of people cited tourism as the main
source of pollution. In 2021, APWC reported that of the 102,453 tonnes of waste disposed of
in Antigua and Barbuda in 2019, more than half of the 3,254 tonnes of the plastic waste
generated was done so by households, followed by the commercial and tourism sectors
(Mittempergher, Raes, and Jain 2021). Tourists dispose of almost 16% of plastic waste per
year, and the average tourist generates twice as much waste as a local resident per capita,
largely contributed by land-based tourism. The responses to this survey question could
indicate a lack of awareness of the quantities of waste produced by different sectors, as
well as a lack of self-awareness where waste generated by households is concerned.

A significant majority (70%) of respondents had learned most about pollution in school,
with most of the remaining persons having learned on social media (26.5%). None of the
respondents had gained the majority of their knowledge from government-sponsored
programs, advertisements etc. While the government does set the school curriculum,
especially that of primary school students, focus is not placed on pollution and education
on the topic is limited for most.

Figure 3: Pie Chart Showing The Level of Awareness of Respondents Of Antiguan Facilities or
Procedures For The Recycling or Collection of Plastic, Electronics or Left Over Chemicals etc.

As seen in figure 3, the respondents had little (56%) to no (14.7%) knowledge of any
facilities or procedures that exist or have existed in Antigua and Barbuda for the recycling
or collection of plastic, electronics or hazardous waste (such as old light bulbs containing
mercury, leftover chemicals) with only 9% of persons being very aware of the
aforementioned. The Antigua and Barbuda Waste Recycling Corporation is a non-profit
organisation and while it works in conjunction with the government to help process
plastic, glass, ferrous and non-ferrous metal and cardboard waste, it is a small plant and
not much is known of it among the public locally. In 2022, Mario Bento, Chairman of the
ABRWC showed that his organisation only recycled 3% of the plastic waste generated on
the island every day. Antigua does not currently have infrastructure in place for the
large-scale proper disposal of hazardous or electronic waste with most items ending up
indiscriminately dumped into the landfill at Cooks Landfill. Small Antiguan organisations
such as Will’s Recycling Ltd. process used electronic waste, vehicle batteries and parts.
However, 8 in 10 persons had at least some knowledge of facilities or procedures that exist
or have existed in Antigua and Barbuda for the recycling or collection of bulk waste. This
greater public knowledge is likely due to greater exposure. The National Solid Waste
Authority sponsors infomercials on state media informing nationals of proper bulk waste
management procedures and trucks which transport waste are clearly visible in day to
day traffic.

Public Behaviour and Likelihood for Change

When asked how often they recycled, 0 respondents reported that they recycled all the
time with the most common response being sometimes (47%) or rarely (26%).

Figure 4: Pie Chart Showing The Frequency to Which Respondents Recycle

Persons who recycled frequently were a minority within the sample at only 14% and as
little as 8.8% of participants self-reported as recycling enough. When asked why they
thought they recycled enough or not, the responses were varied and insightful. The
minority, or persons who were satisfied with their recycling habits cited feelings of ‘doing
their part’ and a ‘sense of wanting to protect their environment’. Many respondents were
seemingly regretful of their lack of recycling and noted the environmental ills facing the
planet which could be alleviated by pollution prevention. However, a few respondents
described a lack of public recycling infrastructure (appropriate bins or facilities etc) as the
reason for their lack of engagement.
 Figure 5: Picture Showing an Illegal Dumping Site near a pond in Motorpool, Antigua

If asked to regularly separate household items into categories, most respondents

indicated being either fairly likely (39.4%), likely (27.3%) or very likely (24.2%) to cooperate.
The vast majority of respondents, 94% claimed to never have improperly disposed of large
items by throwing them into ponds or bushes etc. with the remaining six percent being
two respondents who chose ‘frequently’ and ‘sometimes’ respectively out of the four
possible options. Assuming that the respondents were being honest, this is quite pleasing
as the improper disposal of bulk waste can be an eyesore as well as environmental hazard.
Surprisingly, only 3 in 10 persons had ever participated in a plastic bottle recycling
campaign though most respondents (84%) favourably regarded the campaign to
eliminate single-use plastic bags. All respondents claimed to employ at least one pollution
prevention strategy, the most popular of which was proper waste disposal/ the avoidance
of littering at 88%, followed by the reuse of items which would otherwise have been
trashed at 67.6%, the avoidance of single use plastic at 50% of all participants and recycling
at 44.1% The use of public transportation was the least popular method at 23.5%.
 Figure 6: Bar Chart Showing The Pollution Control Strategies Implemented by Respondents

Participants were asked to rank the effectiveness of the current pollution prevention
strategies employed in Antigua and Barbuda on a linear scale from one to five, one being
‘not very good’ and five being ‘very good’, none of the respondents chose five and very few
(6%) chose four. Instead, most participants chose three (52.9%) with much of the
remaining minority opting for two at 32.4%.

Figure 7: Bar Chart Showing How Respondents Rated the Effectiveness of Pollution Prevention
Strategies in Antigua and Barbuda

Figure 7 highlights the respondents’ seeming dissatisfaction with current public pollution
prevention strategies. Lenient consequences for failure to comply was selected as the
biggest setback affecting local pollution prevention stratagem by many of the
respondents (44.1%) with lack of education being a close second at 29.4%. Fewer persons
believed that expense (11.8%) or inconvenience (8.8%) were the largest players at stake.
Most respondents, 94.1% indicated to being at least willing to consider the adoption of
new technologies such as electric transportation to minimise pollution with 50% of the
sample stating that they would, and 44.1% who selected ‘maybe’. This is exciting as unlike
cars which run on fuels such as gasoline and petrol and when combusted, produce fumes
containing harmful atmospheric pollutants which can cause problems such as increased
global warming and
acid rain. Electric vehicles powered by batteries do not produce such pollutants and if
made popular with the public, they could reduce Antiguan carbon emissions
considerably.
The responses to the next question were less conclusive, however. When asked to rank
their willingness to use alternative forms of transportation such as car pooling, walking,
riding the bus to minimise air pollution from a linear scale of one to five, where one is not
very likely and five is very likely, responses were varied. 32.4% of people selected three,
26.5% of persons selected two and three respectively, and the remaining 14.7% of persons
chose five. This is likely due to a perceived decrease in the independence and
convenience of having one’s own vehicle and disenchantment with the notoriously
inefficient and often uncomfortable public transport system in Antigua and Barbuda.

Figure 8: Bar Chart Showing The Willingness of Respondents to Use Alternative Forms of

Transportation

Mass transit also reduces carbon emissions, reduces land consumption than an
auto-dependent transportation system, lowers energy requirements, and lowers accident
costs (Britannica, n.d.).
Recommendations

For improving public awareness of current pollution control strategies:

1. Conducting public education and awareness campaigns: Antigua can conduct public
education campaigns that explain the importance of pollution control strategies, the
consequences of pollution on public health, and the need to take preventive measures.
Such campaigns might include posting informational signage in public places, organising
public lectures, seminars, or workshops.

2. Developing an interactive website: An interactive website with a detailed map of

Antigua, highlighting pollution levels, cleanup strategies, the dangers of hazardous waste
and remediation techniques, would be helpful for residents to access information
conveniently.

3. Encouraging Community participation: Antigua can encourage community initiatives,

where people can come together, share knowledge, and work on pollution control
strategies. Additionally, local community leaders would also help to spread awareness
about pollution control strategies.

4. Strategic partnerships: Antigua could partner with local businesses, environmental

organisations, and other stakeholders to promote pollution control strategies to the
public. These groups can provide education, mentorship, or professional engagement to
raise awareness of pollution control strategies, which would help to get citizens involved in
the campaigns.

Improving pollution control in Antigua and Barbuda based on strategies

that the public approve of

● Various persons suggested that more recycling bins be placed throughout the
island, but especially in St. Johns and near beaches to lessen the volume of plastic
waste added to landfills, cluttering the street or ending up in the ocean.
● One respondent recommended the “sorting of household waste into organic and
inorganic to make the handling and collection of waste more sustainable”, and
another suggested “bottle collection from homes”. Combining these
 recommendations could produce a comprehensive system in which residents are
required to sort their household waste into recyclables and nonrecyclables and
there is a fleet of trucks which specialises in the collection of recyclable waste from
homes just as normal garbage trucks available on island do already. This would
make recycling more convenient and accessible for those without access to private
vehicles with which to transport appropriate waste to recycling plants. In addition,
the recycling plants on island would have to be significantly upsized to adequately
meet the needs of the population, or smaller plants could also be decentralised
throughout the island to foster cooperation and participation among community
members.
● Many respondents suggested that stricter regulations be put in place, and harsher
punishment be enacted upon persons and businesses who violate pollution
prevention laws as a means of both holding entities accountable and as a
deterrent from malpractice.
● Another popular recommendation was for sustainable, more ‘green’ items to be
subsidised or made more affordable to incentivise members of the public to
choose them above more harmful alternatives.
● It was suggested that the government create its own electronic/hazardous waste
recycling plant to handle the waste produced on the island. This waste could even
be exported to countries with the requisite infrastructure needed to process it and
manufacture a new product, thus providing an additional income stream for the
twin-island state.
Conclusions
The results of this survey show that the respondents were aware of the issue of Antiguan
pollution, land pollution especially, but that they were not very aware of the main causes
of pollution, nor of pollution prevention strategies in place in Antigua and Barbuda. Most
respondents had little to no knowledge of smaller waste management facilities such as
recycling plants on the island, though they were aware of bulk waste collection
procedures. The majority of respondents recycled, though infrequently. This can be
attributed to a lack of adequate infrastructure available on the island and a lack of
knowledge of pollution prevention procedures and most respondents indicated that they
would be likely to cooperate if asked to separate their trash for recycling. Many
respondents presently employ pollution prevention strategies such as the avoidance of
littering and reuse of items which would otherwise be thrown away, but the use of
public/shared transport seemed to have minimal appeal and respondents expressed
hesitancy in trying it in the future. Respondents were much more in favour of privately
owned electric vehicles. Most persons had a neutral to negative perception of the
effectiveness of current pollution prevention strategies in place, and cited reasons such as
lack of public education and adequate punishment for violations of policy as the main
reasons for ineffectiveness. In the future, the Antiguan government has a lot to catch up
on in regards to the creation of public outreach and educational programs, suitable
pollution prevention infrastructure (recycling plants, bins, trucks, hazardous waste
treatment centres etc.), more stringent legislation and harsher punishment for waste
mismanagement for households and business owners.
REFERENCES

● Mittempergher, D., Raes, L., and Jain, A., (2022) The economic impact of marine
plastic pollution in Antigua and Barbuda: Impacts on the fisheries and tourism
sectors, and the benefits of reducing mismanaged waste, Switzerland: IUCN.
● 2001 residential public opinion survey (sample size N=400) - US EPA. (n.d.).
https://cfpub.epa.gov/npstbx/files/sanmateofinalsurveyresidential.pdf
● Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (n.d.). How can we reduce pollution?. Encyclopædia
Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/question/How-can-we-reduce-pollution
● Martin, K. (2022, November 6). Recycling, reusing, repurposing here in Antigua
Barbuda. Antigua & Barbuda Yachting & Marine Association.
https://abyma.ag/recycling-reusing-repurposing-here-in-antigua-barbuda/
● Michael, V. (2022, March 22). Challenges in plastic waste recycling drive new
business opportunities. Antigua Observer Newspaper.
https://antiguaobserver.com/challenges-in-plastic-waste-recycling-drive-new-busin
ess-opportunities/
 Appendices

Pollution Prevention Awareness Survey

This instrument will be used only to collect data for academic analysis, the
scope of which is limited to this school (Antigua State College). All information
gathered will be kept confidential, participants are encouraged to be honest.

1. How aware are you of issues surrounding water, air and land pollution? (e.g. plastic
islands in the ocean)
A. Very aware
B. Moderately aware
C. Only slightly aware
D. Unaware
2. Which type of pollution do you know most about?
A. Land pollution
B. Water pollution
C. Air pollution
3. Which type of pollution do you know least about?
A. Land pollution
B. Water pollution
C. Air pollution

4. What is the largest source of pollution in Antigua?

A. Other:
B. Households
C. Animals
D. Local businesses/Industry
E. Schools
F. The government
G. Tourism
5. Where/how did you learn most about pollution?
A. Other:
B. Social media (Instagram, Tiktok, Facebook, Whatsapp etc.)
C. School
D. At work/volunteering
E. Government campaigns (advertisements, programs, brochures etc.)

6. How aware are you of any facilities or procedures that exist or have existed in
Antigua and Barbuda for the recycling or collection of plastic, electronics,
hazardous waste (such as old light bulbs containing mercury, leftover chemicals)?
A. Very aware
B. Moderately aware
C. Only slightly aware
D. Unaware

7. How aware are you of any facilities or procedures that exist or have existed in
Antigua and Barbuda for the recycling or collection of bulk waste (such as old
furniture, vehicles etc.)?
A. Very aware
B. Moderately aware
C. Only slightly aware
D. Unaware

8. How often do you recycle?

A. Always
B. Frequently
C. Sometimes
D. Rarely
E. Never

9. Do you think that this is an adequate amount?

A. Yes
B. No
C. Maybe

10. Briefly, why or why not?

11. How likely are you to cooperate if asked to regularly (e.g. weekly) separate
household items into recyclables, green/organic waste, and landfill trash?
A. Very likely
B. Likely
C. Fairly likely
D. Not very likely
E. Unlikely

12. Do you improperly dispose of large items (ex. furniture) by throwing them into
ponds, bushes etc.?
A. Always
B. Frequently
C. Sometimes
D. Never
 13. Have you participated in any plastic bottle recycling campaigns?
A. Yes
B. No
C. Maybe

15. Which pollution control strategies do you implement? Select all that
apply.

A. Other:
B. None
C. Avoiding single use plastic, using items such as reusable water bottles,
metal/paper straws or cloth shopping bags etc. instead.
D. Use of public transport
E. Reuse of items that would otherwise be thrown away
F. Recycling
G. Proper disposal of waste (avoidance of littering)

16. Do you think that you could do more to control pollution?

A. Yes
B. No
 C. Maybe

18. What is the biggest setback affecting local pollution prevention stratagem?

A. Inconvenience
B. lack of education
C. lenient consequences for failure to comply
D. expense
E. Other:

19. Are you willing to adopt new technologies such as electric transportation to minimise
air pollution?

A. Yes
B. Maybe
C. No
21. Finally, what pollution control strategies would you like to see implemented?