For motorists on New Providence, seeing one of Bahamas Waste’s (BW) thematically wrapped sanitation trucks is a pretty common occurrence. In addition to being the island’s most trusted provider of waste management service, the company has also become synonymous with several important community causes.
Over the years, Bahamas Waste has used its trucks to represent and support various initiatives, from Autism Awareness to Cancer Research. This week the company unveiled the newest addition to its fleet with a timely message about COVID safety. “Bahamas Waste is in the business of encouraging cleanliness and proper sanitation and so it made sense for us to be at the forefront of sharing this COVID safety message” explained BW Managing Director, Francisco de Cardenas.
Over the past 9 months, the global health pandemic has claimed 1.5 million lives worldwide and continues to threaten the health and livelihood of Bahamians across the country. Thankfully, however, the implementation and enforcement of COVID-related protocols which include mask-wearing and social distancing have proven successful in reducing the number of new infections recorded.
After hearing one of the Prime Minister’s addresses calling for everyone to help stop the spread of COVID-19 by wearing a mask and saving lives, team waste knew what their newly painted vehicle should say.
“The past several months have been incredibly difficult, not just for us in The Bahamas but for the entire world,” explained de Cardenas, as he unveiled the vehicle. “Which is why it has become so important for all of us to work together to slow the spread of this virus and one of the easiest ways to do that is to simply wear a mask.”
The addition of the truck to the Bahamas Waste messaging is just one of several initiatives launched by the company since the start of the pandemic. “As a team, we have been really committed to ensuring that our staff and their families have remained healthy and COVID free during this time,” de Cardenas added. “It hasn’t always been easy but we’ve developed a culture of accountability with our staff, and we are strict about enforcing all the necessary protocols, most especially the wearing of masks
and of course sanitizing regularly.”
Already, the new vehicle has received a major endorsement from the government. Present at the unveiling was East Grand Bahama Member of Parliament Peter Turnquest, who praised the company for its continued efforts as a community partner.
“I wholeheartedly support this endeavor,” Turnquest said during brief remarks. “It speaks to the collective responsibility we all share in being our brother’s keeper and in ensuring that our economy and our country can regain a sense of normalcy.”
