04/02/2025
Kleptocracy at its Best:
In response to EMA Media Release on 27/2/2025
The Corruption of the Best Gives Rise to the Worst Outcome
Scottish philosopher David Hume once emphasized that experience, rather than mere reasoning, is the key to understanding cause and effect. His words remind us that when good intentions are misused, the consequences can be disastrous.
RWL’s Role in Waste Management & Recycling
Recycling Waste & Logistics (RWL) is a small, family-owned business in Trinidad and Tobago with extensive expertise in waste management, recycling, and strategic development. Our Managing Director, Mr. Shawn C. Roberts, is a seasoned Management Consultant with a major in e-Commerce. His career spans multiple industries, including Program Management, Product Development, Change Management, and Strategic Planning.
After completing his studies in Canada in 2002, Mr. Roberts worked as a Project Consultant to digitize Trinidad & Tobago’s Carnival via the National Carnival Commission (NCC) website. That same year, he also consulted for National Security. His contributions to the Cyber Crime Bill and his coordination of ICT systems in the oil & gas sector further demonstrate his expertise. Notably, while studying, he gained hands-on experience in recycling applications, from product processing to scrap recovery, making his insights invaluable to the industry.
With this extensive background, RWL’s expertise in waste management surpasses many larger Caribbean entities. Our knowledge is sought across both English and non-English-speaking Caribbean nations.
Regional Impact & Expertise
• Dominica: Successfully facilitated the country’s first post-consumer recycled shipment in over a decade.
• British Virgin Islands (BVI): Assisting in restructuring waste management systems, including plastic recycling and sargassum management.
• Dominican Republic (DR): Enabled the export of plastics and e-waste, reinforcing our regional footprint.
The EMA’s Misrepresentation & Financial Mismanagement
The EMA continues to mislead the public regarding zero outstanding balances owed for the TRRI program. While the agency emphasizes its MOA with the THA, RWL has never disputed that agreement. However, prior to the EMA becoming a TRRI co-sponsor in 2021, the THA’s Division of Infrastructure, Quarries, and the Environment (DIQE) had clearly outlined specific roles and responsibilities between RWL and the THA.
The EMA portrays its MOA with the THA as a comprehensive legally binding document. However, in practice, it was not followed as claimed. The THA did not directly manage financial transactions; instead, funds were disbursed directly from the EMA to RWL for further allocation to contractors, staff and other relevant stakeholders. This establishes an implicit contractual relationship between RWL and the EMA.
Moreover, the annual MOA between the THA and EMA was primarily a budgetary document, for instance, a "No-Cost Extension" allowing unspent funds to roll over. The EMA while as a direct recipient had acted as the fiduciary for the Green Fund Ex*****on Unit (GFEU) for TRRI, had full control over reporting and disbursements to strategic partners. Despite TRRI’s operational costs ranging from $90,000 – 98,000 TT per month, the EMA’s quarterly disbursements from the GFEU likely exceeded TTD 1.3 million, raising serious concerns about financial transparency.
RWL’s Support for SWMCOL challenges & EMA’s iCARE Project Failures
Between 2016 and 2018, SWMCOL sought RWL’s expertise to process recyclables from the iCARE project. Our intervention increased SWMCOL’s processing capacity from a handful of containers to over 300 tons annually. Despite this success, the EMA had cut financial support to SWMCOL in 2018 and obstructed funding for processors and claiming funds had run out.
In response, Mr. Roberts publicly stated on the Ministry of Planning & Development’s page: “It’s not worth spending another cent on it.” …meaning the iCARE project.
Misuse of Green Fund & Bureaucratic Manipulation
The EMA has repeatedly misused public funds by withholding and reallocating Green Fund grants for its internal operations. Since 2018, other projects initially approved for funding have been mysteriously paused after initial disbursements, suggesting a pattern of financial mismanagement akin to a Ponzi scheme.
As government entities continue requesting more funds, taxpayers bear the burden through increased taxation instead of addressing these systemic inefficiencies.
Unpaid Invoices & Outstanding Funds (May – Nov 2023)
Total Amount Requested (TTD):
• Operations & Maintenance Subsidy: $245,000
• Payroll (Admin & Plant Labor): $114,800
• Recycling Collection: $154,000
• Total: $513,800
Total Amount Received (TTD):
• Operations & Maintenance Subsidy: $154,000
• Payroll: $114,800
• Recycling Collection: $110,000
• Total Received: $378,800
• Total Outstanding: $135,000
Furthermore, RWL was pressured to submit an additional bill of $45,000, which appears to have been part of a scheme between the EMA and THA to decommission all 40 TRRI bins in Tobago—an action they had no authority to undertake without GFEU authorization. This raises further concerns about transparency and ethical governance.
Hence, if you add the $378,800 received plus the EMA/THA-nominated contractor’s bill of $45,000, the total comes to $423,800. As we stated before, when both parties share mutual benefits, they strategize to achieve their goals. However, what does not make sense is that the THA devised a plan with the EMA to shut down a successful and operational program by removing the drop-off bins while still in partnership with RWL. This action places the THA in breach of its agreement with RWL since TRRI launch November 2020. It was in THA’s best interest to maintain the financial support from the EMA Green Funded iCARE project instead colluding to shut down the TRRI program.
Additionally, it is unclear how the EMA could claim that the MOA with the THA had expired while simultaneously continuing to “support” TRRI. We would like to know how? Essentially, the last MOA signed by this THA under the Division of Food Security, Natural Resources, the Environment & Sustainable Development (DFSNRESD) covered only five months, from December 2022 to April 2023, due to “insufficient funds” to support TRRI for another 10 - 12 months. The EMA finally had to admit the issue of funding constraints after Mr. Beckles acknowledged at the PAAC meeting that, in December 2022, the EMA had informed him that they will soon be "out of pocket." We are certain that the full $5.2 million allocated to the TRRI has not been spent specifically for the program — in other words, the Maths is not Mathsing!
However, the core issue is not just the $2.6 million disbursed for TRRI expenses, but rather the unaccounted-for $2.6 million. This raises critical questions that demand answers. The EMA’s financial structure is such that its banking and projects department operate separately, allowing the agency to act as both a Vendor and an Administrator for its own projects. In other words, the EMA’s projects department can issue payments to the EMA as a contractor. This arrangement creates serious concerns about transparency and accountability, which we will continue to scrutinize moving forward.
Call for Inquiry & Public Apology
For 3.5 years, the THA has remained complicit in the EMA’s financial mismanagement. If the EMA continues to deny owing funds for TRRI, we demand a full, transparent audit of all GFEU disbursements related to TRRI.
We call upon the respective Parliamentary Committee to investigate the TRRI Public Private Partnership (PPP) venture and ensure public funds are properly accounted for. This is not an isolated incident but part of a broader pattern of financial misappropriation.
If the EMA and THA fail to provide the relevant supporting documents, then RWL/TRRI demands a formal apology and full payment of all outstanding funds, as the program was primarily funded by taxpayers.
TRRI Accomplishments from November 2020 – September 2024
Activity Tons (kg)
Recyclables Collected (Drop-off Bins/Roadside Cleanups): 462.94 (462,940 kg)
Recyclables Processed (Batched/Baled/Crushed): 412.04 (412,040 kg)
Commodities Marketed (Exports & Trades): 256.98 (256,980 kg)
Waste Disposed (Process/Rejected/Garbage): 50.63 (50,630 kg)
By contrast, over $60 million spent on iCARE over the past decade has resulted in collecting just 7,747 tons—half of which was non-recyclable waste (garbage). According to SWMCOL’s 2023 Waste Characterization Study, waste volumes collected & disposed at the landfills have increased in Trinidad, raising serious doubts about whether taxpayers are getting value for money. Instead of funding another $17 million for 18 months of inefficiency, these funds should be redirected to meaningful sustainable & viable, results-driven initiatives.
Conclusion
RWL remains committed to transparency and accountability in Trinidad & Tobago’s waste management and recycling sector. This fight is not just about money—it is about principle. We believe in integrity and will continue to challenge systemic corruption.
We fully expect the EMA to leverage its backing from its line ministry and affiliated media houses. However, RWL will continue to stand firm on its principles and demand justice.
Communications & Marketing Department
Recycling Waste & Logistics (RWL) Limited
c/o Tobago Recycling Resource Initiative (TRRI)
Bay 5, Old Government Farm Road,
Shaw Park,
Tobago, W.I.
Email: [email protected]
https://facebook.com/recyclingwastelogistics
FB/IG – trrirecyclingcentre
