Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 24, 2025

Tortola’s Kyresha Hodge named VI’s top recycler

Tortola’s Kyresha Hodge named VI’s top recycler

Six-year-old Ky’Resha Hodge was named the Virgin Islands’ top recycler amidst 42 students between the ages of two and 19 who competed for the Student Recycling competition conducted by Green VI in conjunction with the Department of Waste Management.
The students vied for new laptops and top honours to see who could gather the most plastic, glass and aluminum recyclables in the month of August.

Acting Manager for the Department of Waste Management explained that recycling is vital to our Territory right now. “We have to find ways to reduce the amount of waste we are producing as well as diverting recyclables out of the garbage stream.

The WE RECYCLE programme along with initiatives like this is a move towards that goal. I hope that the enthusiasm persists outside of the competition, and everyone continues to recycle wherever they are,” Mr. Allen said.

“The 2022 Student Recycling Competition showed us, once again, that when BVI families come together to make a difference in solving our waste problems, amazing things happen!”, said Green VI Deputy Director Sarah Penny, adding that, “As part of the competition a total of 402,000 plastic water bottles, 257,000 glass drink bottles and 22,750 aluminum beverage cans were collected. This means the Territory can now add 18,350 pounds of recyclables to the 7,021 tons already collected by the WE RECYCLE programme and diverted from burning or burying.”

Top recycler Ky’Resha Hodge, a student at the Ebenezer Thomas Primary School, with the support of family and friends collected 79,000 plastic bottles, 58,000 glass bottles and 7000 aluminum cans.

Other top recyclers included Joseph Lake who took the top prize for Virgin Gorda for collecting 57,000 plastic bottles and 70,000 glass bottles. A’Miah Joseph took the top prize for Jost Van Dyke and Ciara Evans was named top recycler for Anegada.

Lake a 13-year-old student from the Bregado Flax Educational Centre said, “I’m happy to know that I’ve prevented large volumes of waste from being burned at the dump and polluting the environment by simply bringing these materials on my dad’s pickup truck to the Virgin Gorda Eco-Park. Filling all those large bags was not an easy task but it was worthwhile, not only for the prize, but to know my future may be a bit brighter.”

Other top recyclables winners included: Emily Davis, Shanae John, Nazir Cooper, Avonnia Bute, Kaiela Lewis, Jovianne Walters, Chemoi Flax and Alexis Gannigan. As part of the competition the participants could also submit videos that illustrated that reducing and reusing is just as important as recycling. The participants were urged to inspire someone to start composting, home gardening, conserving water, and recycling among other conservation methods.

Top video submission winners included, Z’Shawn Smith, Keaura Turnbull, JMoi Scatliffe, Jyliane Algar, Jesse Cockburn, Kyng Hanley, Zaed Chalwell, Dasia Penn and Kelly Smith. Aerin Westlake was also given an award for Special Environmentalist.

“I want to congratulate the winners in each category and to all those who entered the competition. In my book you are all winners and many thanks to the friends and family who worked behind the scenes to make the competition great,” Mr. Allen concluded.

The Department of Waste Management is committed to ensuring that the natural beauty of the Territory is enhanced by utilising state of the art waste management technology to ensure timely collection disposal and where possible the recycling of waste.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
×