Pretty much anywhere you go in Belize, you'll find those styrofoam containers we use for food along with plastic forks and spoons. Well, a cluster of government ministries and department says they have to go - and in just a year's time!
Cabinet today approved a proposal to reduce plastic and Styrofoam pollution through by phasing out single-use plastic shopping bags and Styrofoam and plastic food utensils by April 22, 2019.
This will include Styrofoam and plastic clamshells, flat plates and cups.
Government says "Plastic shopping bags and Styrofoam clamshells are used by the average person for only a few minutes before they are thrown away where they can last for decades in the landfill or as litter on the side of highways, in rivers, along coastlines and in the sea, causing harm to wildlife and fishes vulnerable to choking on plastic pieces. In the municipal waste stream, plastic and Styrofoam comprise about 19% of the volume…"
So what will now be used? Well, Biodegradable alternatives to the plastic and Styrofoam products already exist on the Belizean market. Thing is they aren't as inexpensive, and last we checked they were in a higher bracket for import duties.
And while those details will have to be worked out, OCEANA says, quote, "This decision is welcomed by the thousands of Belizeans who have participated in numerous clean up initiatives country wide for many years and have seen the devastating impacts of single use plastic and Styrofoam on our world renowned natural resources."
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