GK Foundation expands Kingston Harbour cleanup with barriers, education and new data

GK Foundation is reporting major progress in its Kingston Harbour Cleanup Project, an initiative aimed at reducing the flow of solid waste from Corporate Area gullies into one of Jamaica’s most important natural and commercial assets.

Foundation Chief Executive Officer Carla Myrie said the work grew out of GraceKennedy’s long connection to downtown Kingston, where the company has had its headquarters on the harbour for 104 years. She said the company has supported environmental work for decades, including funding a chair in environmental management at The University of the West Indies from 1996.

The current push followed a 2019 lecture on the future of the harbour, after which GK Foundation funded planning work and partnered with Mona Informatics on a US$2-million grant focused on mangrove restoration. The project later expanded through a partnership with The Ocean Cleanup, a Dutch non-governmental organisation, and has been under way since 2022.

Myrie said interceptor barriers placed in gullies have stopped more than 5.5 million kilogrammes of waste, approaching six million kilogrammes, from reaching the harbour. She said the material removed includes not only plastic bottles but appliances and other large items. In 2025 alone, with Sandy Gully in operation, the project has prevented 2.5 million kilogrammes of waste from entering the harbour.

The effort combines waste interception, beach cleanups and public education. Schools near the gullies have toured the project, including Barnes Gully at the end of South Camp Road, while visitors also see the offloading site where collected waste is managed. Myrie said foul odours in some gullies are linked to raw sewage and ageing downtown pipe infrastructure, not the plastic waste itself.

The project also targets mangrove health, which Myrie said is important for storm protection and marine life. She noted that fishers from Rae Town and Greenwich Town have reported improvements in fish stock, while restored mangrove areas such as Refuge Cay are being monitored.

Clean Harbours Jamaica operates the waste collection system, while GK Foundation manages funding and outreach. Myrie also credited support from NEPA, KSAMC, the Port Authority of Jamaica, UDC, the National Land Agency, community representatives and private partners.

A public lecture, “Kingston Harbour Cleanup Project: From Vision to Reality,” is scheduled for Friday, June 5 at 6 p.m. at the UWI Regional Headquarters and online via GraceKennedy’s YouTube page.