Manufacturers weigh in on biodegradable debate
BEFORE TAKING a decision on the banning of biodegradable bags, Government needs to first educate itself on the issue and invest in a public awareness campaign along the same vein in order to get the nation at large to understand the full implications of any such ban. This is the view of at least two local manufacturers of single-use plastic bags and other food-packaging material such as Styrofoam.
“It is not a matter of just simply banning bags, which is the impression that was being put out there. Ban the bags and ban the bags because it makes no sense. What you need to do is to ensure that the thing is biodegradable and that when people put on the bag that it is biodegradable that it means what it says. What does degradable mean? Degrade in 1,000 years?” were some of the points raised by Hugh Gray, chairman and chief executive officer of Agri and Industrial Packaging.
He was reacting to the news that the Government is looking into banning plastic bags as a means of reducing the volume of garbage that ends up on the streets, on the beaches, and all over the place, creating eyesores and health risks in most town capitals.
The manufacture of flexible packaging is the core business for this company, which has been in operation for more than 30 years.
“We make bags for almost every sector of the society, any category that you can think of,” Gray told The Gleaner. “No difficulty at all,” he said when asked about the company’s ability to transition to biodegradable packing only, should that become law any time soon.