Kelly Stanforth has a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Dayton and is currently working on her M.S. in Environmental Engineering at Michigan Tech.

Wha Gwaan? My Peace Corps assignment started July 2002 in Jamaica as a Community Environmental Health Engineer. I am living in Kingston helping the Ministry of Health/Environmental Health Unit and a nongovernment organization called Recycle For Life.

For the Ministry I am assisting with an infectious waste study of the Public Health Lab and a few hospitals. The results of the study will be used to fix the incinerators on the compound.

Recycle For Life is the only PET plastic reclamation company in Jamaica. My responsiblities for RFL includes the plastic yam stick project. This is an endeavor to eliminate RFL's dependency on the international PET Regrind market prices and create a new and much needed product in Jamaica. Currently, yam farmers in Jamaica use 10 foot wooden poles for each yam plant, resulting in deforestation.

As an engineer, I also get the opportunity to travel around the island to help other volunteers. For example, I am helping volunteers in the Blue Mountain Region test the water quality in their communities. Also, I am assisting a volunteer in a Maroon village establish a recycling collection centre and litter abatement program.

Don't worry, I have found a lot time to relax at the beach, dance to the popular dancehall music and hike in the cockpit country. Jamaica is a beautiful country with an extraordinary amount of volunteer work available to engineers interested in solid waste issues. Also, beautiful mountain or beach sunsets are never far away.