NASSAU, BAHAMAS — For five-year-old Jay McCoy, the sound of the Bahamas Waste garbage truck making its way through his neighborhood is always less about the trash and definitely all about the experience. The homeschooler was declared the winner of the recent Bahamas Waste (BW) #SnapAndWin promotion, helping his parents secure a VIP collection service from the waste management company.
Just weeks after launching its COVID safety truck, the company set out to find a new way to engage its customers and show appreciation for their continued support.
BW Operations Manager Ethelyn Davis said: “With everything that has been going on around us, we really just wanted to find something fun and light-hearted to engage our customers, and further incentivize the services we already offer.”
Early this year, the company launched the initiative, which required customers to take a picture of themselves with a waste truck, a branded collection bin or any signage around the island of New Providence.
BW said some great submissions were received, but young Jay’s submission stood out the most.
His mother, Chrystonia McCoy, said: “Jay is obsessed with garbage trucks. In fact, trash pickup day has become a full-scale event for our family, complete with costume changes to welcome the drivers each week.”
Once she got wind of the BW promotion, McCoy knew immediately that her boys would want to enter the contest.
The winning photos featured Jay as the newest little “Bahamas Waste Helper”, complete with a toddler-sized recycle bin of his own.
As a winner of the contest, Jay and his family, who have been long-time BW customers, will receive access to a free month of VIP, white-glove services for three months and a new 45-gallon bin, too.
For the mother of two, however, the real prize was the lesson she was able to teach her young boys.
“This was just another great opportunity for my husband and I to teach our boys about the importance of proper trash disposal and the need to keep our environment clean — and it helps that the drivers are always so friendly and that they indulge Jay and his brother by honking their horns and making them feel special,” McCoy said.
“For me, that’s the best part.”