JET welcomes Government’s plastic policy
THE JAMAICA Environment Trust (JET) welcomes the Government’s new strategies to address the country’s widespread problem of plastic pollution, says its Chief Executive Officer, Suzanne Stanley.
The strategies announced by minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation Daryl Vaz, include a ban on plastic bags with dimensions measuring less than 24” x 24” (imported and locally manufactured), effective January 1, 2019.
The long-awaited announcement comes after decades of advocacy by JET to have Jamaica’s plastic pollution addressed.
“The new strategies tackle plastic pollution at their source – removing several types of non-biodegradable packaging from the market and the country’s waste stream. The bold move by the Government is in line with global trends to reduce or eliminate single-use plastic packaging and represents a positive shift in environmental policy,” Stanley said.
“JET looks forward to further details on how the bans on plastic packaging will be implemented and enforced at the nation’s ports and in the wider economy,” she added.
Public education and the identification of, and improved access to, suitable alternatives to plastic packaging will also be critical as Jamaica prepares for the bans over the next few months.
Stanley said that JET shares the concerns expressed by several stakeholders about the impact the ban on plastic grocery bags (commonly referred to as scandal bags/ T-shirt bags/Lada bags) will have on the storage of garbage by households.
“These types of plastic bags have been well established as ‘free’ garbage bags, and are used by many Jamaicans for this purpose. JET strongly recommends that the GOJ take immediate action to address this concern by making suitable alternatives available and accessible to all,” urged Stanley.
She stated that JET remains concerned about PET plastic beverage bottles, which constitute about 15 per cent of the island’s waste stream, especially as recycling programmes are not well established.