BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, June 11. 2018 – ENVIRONMENT Minister, Eugene Hamilton has pleaded with citizens and residents to get their acts together when it comes to the use of plastic bags and Styrofoam containers, or the government will implement a ban.
“My government would like to first give our citizens the opportunity to voluntarily change our behavior and actions before we consider mandatory changes such as a complete ban on plastics and Styrofoam. If we are desirous of improving our health and reversing some of the negative impacts of plastic proliferation we must change our behavior now,” Hamilton said.
A prohibition on the importation or use of plastic bags and Styrofoam containers will be nothing new in the Caribbean, since governments in Antigua and Barbuda, and Guyana have imposed similar bans within their jurisdictions.
While making an address to recognize World Environment Day, June 5, Minister Hamilton charged that creating good consumption and waste disposal habits will protect both the environment and the health of the people.
“Since plastics can stick around for an extensive period of time before it is completely degraded, we therefore need to drastically halt the loading of plastics into our environment,” he added.
Like many countries within the region, citizens of St. Kitts and Nevis have a liking for the use of plastic bags; in many homes there are piles of such bags and containers in cupboards and other storage locations, and many are often dumped.
In 2017, while carrying out its coastal clean up exercise, the Department of Environment removed 2132 plastic bottles from two beaches on St. Kitts.
“This alarming number is just a snapshot of what is happening in our country. The proliferation of single use plastic products is a great concern of the Department of Environment and my Government.,” Hamilton notes.
CARICOM’s Secretary-General, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque during an Environment Day speech insisted that the populace across the region be more meaningful in the consumption and production patterns.
He said that at the regional level, tackling the issue which threatens both marine and human well-being requires the cooperation and collaboration of both public and private sectors together with our academic institutions and civil society, especially consumer and youth groups.
Minister Hamilton echoed similar sentiments for the local community, urging all to consider the implications, while pleading for the adoption of meaningful changes to daily habits.
