Single use plastics and Styrofoam phase out

Minister of the Environment Honourable David Osborne

Montserrat is on the way to banning the use of single-use plastic bags and Styrofoam by 2020, with the first of a series of public and stake-holder consultations set to commence by mid-February.

Minister of the Environment, the Honourable David Osborne in a presentation on the subject, stated, “The Government of Montserrat is well aware of the threat posed by petroleum based single use plastic bags and Styrofoam to the marine and terrestrial environment and has committed itself to strategically reduce the use of these items within the government services.”

The Minister stated that his Ministry will work to develop a phase-out plan, “The long term view however is an island-wide phasing out‒ and transition to re-usable bags by 2020. The Ministry of Agriculture Trade Lands Housing and the Environment has developed and will facilitate, with the assistance of some stakeholders, the implementation of an action plan to make the transition to environmentally friendly options more practical for businesses and consumers alike.”

The Government believes however that it is more practical to adopt a phase out approach, which will reduce the unnecessary hiccups and promote longevity and sustainable as it relates to the ban on plastic bags and Styrofoam. Consequently the implementation of the ban will take place over the next few months to involve consultations with the Attorney General, stakeholders in the plastic and other international and regional partners‒ by the middle of February the Government will start discussions with stakeholders and the public.”

Meanwhile local Supermarket, Aravin’s Enterprise Ltd has already taken the lead by banning the use of single-use plastic bags in its store after issuing more than 300 bags to customers free of charge last December. The supermarket has also taken the initiative of selling re-usable bags to customers going forward.

In a Facebook post last November, Aravin’s issued the following statement to its customers, “Through greater awareness of the negative impact of plastic bags on our environment, we have decided to introduce reusable shopping bags at Aravin's Supermarket. From now until December 31, 2018, our valued customers can collect their bags free of cost when shopping. We encourage customers to bring along your bags every time you visit the store to make a purchase. Let us all help to create a safer environment for Montserrat.”

The ban will put Montserrat in line with a host of countries in Asia, Europe, Africa, and as close as neighbouring Antigua, who have placed bans or penalties on the use of plastic bags.