Experts break down biodegradable debate
SENATOR MATTHEW Samuda’s motion for a ban on non-biodegradable plastic, and Styrofoam food packaging especially, might not provide the anticipated quick fix or a long-term solution to Jamaica’s growing solid-waste problem, even if it becomes law.
Scientists, as well as a people involved in the manufacture of single-use bags commonly referred to as ‘scandal’ bags, say that while the plan by Samuda is well-intentioned, it is not likely to have the desired effect.
They argue that the use of biodegradable packing material as the major mitigation strategy is not likely to address the issue of blocked storm drains or flooded gullies and could create a new set of problems.
They insist that while biodegradable packaging could be one component of an overall national strategy that addresses in a fulsome way the collection, packaging and disposal of all solid waste, its merit as a stand-alone solution is grossly overstated.
Samuda disagrees. His ban targets particularly nonbiodegradable material, which he wants eliminated from the waste stream.
“The confusion I find every time it’s discussed comes in when you have the marrying of the issue with your waste-management problem. My argument and position during the debate in Parliament was that certain material, because they are not recyclable, should not be allowed for consumption at all. That is a different problem, that’s not the problem I’m discussing. “Whether you collected all of your waste and none got in the gullies or on beaches or whatever, what do you do with it after collecting it for 500 years when it is not recyclable? Whereas PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles and HDPE (high-density polyethylene) bottles and most other types of plastics are recyclable, Styrofoam and single-use bags are very difficult and almost impossible from a cost perspective to go through the recycling process,” he told The Gleaner. The issue of the nuisance created by the biodegradable material during the time they take to break down is one that seems to have missed the senator.