The Tribune

By AVA TURNQUEST

Tribune Chief Reporter

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

BREEF executive director Casuarina McKinney-Lambert yesterday applauded the draft bill to ban single-use plastics as a critical first step in the country’s fight against pollution.

Mrs McKinney-Lambert said the Environmental Protection (Control of Plastic Pollution) Bill, 2019 reflected the wide level consultation done by the government.

“I think that the focus for bags was really on shopping bags at this point,” she said in response to questions about the list of plastic bags that will be exempt from the ban.

“Following the lead of a lot of other countries that have already taken steps toward eliminating plastic bags, I think the public education and outreach of this is absolutely essential. Hopefully this will lead the way for growing awareness and general reduction in use of single-use plastics, and get people to rethink their uses for other plastics as well.

“We’re getting in line with this growing international movement by the year 2050; we are in line to have more plastic pollution in the see than fish. People are realising that this is a problem and take personal responsibility and we’re taking responsibility at the national level to reduce the problem.”

If passed, the bill will prohibit single-use plastic foodware and non-biodegradable, oxo-biodegradable and biodegradable single-use plastic bags; prohibit the release of balloons; and regulate the use of compostable single-use plastic bags.

Single-use plastic foodware outlined in the bill include: Styrofoam cups, plates and other similar Styrofoam foodware used to contain food; plastic knives, forks, spoons and straws.

Compostable single-use plastic bags will be exempt from the ban along with a number of others based on their intended use like party bags, dry cleaning, food and hardware storage, newspaper deliveries and trash.

Businesses will be allowed to sell contraband plastic bags up to June 2020 during a transitional period, at a price range of 25 cents to $1, according to the bill.

Mrs McKinney-Lambert said: “I think this is a phased in approach reflective of really broad consultation that has been taking place and that is a good thing. It gives businesses an opportunity to use their existing stock and develop alternatives and think about mechanisms to encourage people to use their own bags. I think that makes sense and is reflective of the consultation that went into it. People are a lot more aware of why this is coming into effect, there has been very broad consultation.”

She continued: “I think ultimately what we need to do as a society is shift away from a disposable culture in general and put the emphasis on reusing items. We see the results of plastics in the marine environment, negatively impacting coral mangroves and in the stomachs of a lot of fish that people are eating.”