Plastic ban just first step
Dear Editor,
Some three months after the ban on single-use plastics came into effect it seems like most Jamaican consumers are still confused why it happened in the first place. Many are still asking why they can no longer get their precious scandal bags from supermarkets.
Most supermarkets have phased out scandal bags and now have paper and reusable bags along with boxes. But a trip to a typical Jamaican chain supermarket will reveal that not having scandal bags is as far as they went with the ban. The bulk share of fresh produce on the shelves is still packaged in clear plastic wrapping and styrofoam or a combination of both. This practice is counterproductive to the goal of the ban.
Many corner shops, bars and cookshops still stock small black scandal bags, plastic straws and styrofoam containers. All three mentioned items are supposedly banned.
In the past few weeks I have had the privilege of venturing across 10 parishes, and it is quite easy to see that the ban is not really a ban at all. Off the sides of many of the important parochial roads garbage can be seen for miles and miles. It can be seen in empty fields, in gullies and in the streets. The most noticeable items at glance are usually plastic bottles, black scandal bags and styrofoam boxes — all of which are single-use plastic materials.
Though I applaud the Government for making a step in the right direction with the introduction of this ban, I do not think it was the measure that was needed. The way the nation’s waste is collected and managed desperately needs to be overhauled.
We, as Jamaicans, also need to do better and stop contributing to the chronic solid waste problem by littering and illegally dumping. We are slowly burying our beautiful land and choking our water bodies with a blanket of scandal bags, plastic bottles, fast food containers and styrofoam.
This issue has far-reaching implications for not only our delicate and important ecosystems, but also has the potential to adversely affect our tourism and fishing industries.
Nicolas Kitchin
nicolaskitchin@yahoo.com
