Environment and Housing Minister Romauld Ferreira in the House of Assembly. Photo: Shawn Hanna/Tribune staff
By LEANDRA ROLLE
lrolle@tribunemedia.net
WITH about 48 hours until the government’s single use plastics ban comes into effect, major companies in New Providence are still in the process of making final preparations for the fast approaching January 1 deadline.
Among these is Baha Mar whose Senior Vice President Robert “Sandy” Sands told The Tribune the mega resort was working to achieve what is required under the new ban.
He noted that although the resort is ready for the upcoming deadline there were still some final preparations to be made for the ban.
Ed Field, the vice-president of public affairs for Atlantis, said: “We are prepared with respect to the government’s initiative as it relates to eliminating single use plastics. As an environmentally conscious resort, we have eliminated the use of plastic straws, Styrofoam cups and containers and have changed heavy plastic take-out food containers and utensils to containers made from sugar cane and bamboo. We are also in the very advanced stages of replacing single use bottles and replacing them with either plant based bottles or stainless steel reusable bottles. In the meantime, we have added refillable water stations around property, to help control bottle usage.”
Environment and Housing Minister Romauld Ferreira last year introduced the prohibition, which will eliminate items such as plastic straws, styrofoam food containers, plastic utensils and single-use plastic shopping bags.
“We’re prepared as much as we can be based on what is available in the marketplace, but we’re still making preparations,” he said. “We’ve introduced a number of initiatives from earlier in the year and certainly I think we’re working towards achieving most of the objectives.”
He continued: “Of course, there are a number of items that still have to be ruled out over the ensuing period because of our imported items, so as long as they have been exhausted at new different stocks, different packings will be in place...”
“It’s going to take some time to be completely addressed, but we’re satisfied that as far as we’re able to purchase the available alternatives that are available, we are compliant.”
By implementing the ban, The Bahamas will join more than 40 countries around the world, including parts of the United States, the United Kingdom, Denmark and Kenya that have already enforced or are in the process of formulating bans on selected plastic and Styrofoam products.
Having embarked on the plastic ban journey for well over a year, Mr Sands said they are hopeful the transition will be a smooth one.
“We’re hopeful that (the transition) will be as smooth as possible. A number of the elements like straws and take out containers... and water bottles will require a slightly longer transitioning period, but as soon as the marketplace introduces those things...I think we are well on our way to satisfying a lot of the conditions.”
Speaking to The Tribune yesterday, Ash Henderson, marketing director for Restaurant Services - Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), Burger King and Dunkin Donuts franchise operator, expressed similar sentiments.
“We’ve recently transitioned to paper cups at Dunkin’, for example, and will be using paper straws and eco-friendly containers and utensils in our other restaurant brands, KFC for example, by the time that the plastic ban takes effect,” he said.
“(But) we’ve been fortunate that we generally don’t use a lot of plastic or Styrofoam in our businesses, and we’ve also received great support from our franchise partners.”
Mr Henderson also noted that they are working hard to ensure that customers are not greatly impacted as a result of the ban.
“These eco-friendly products are inherently more expensive, but we’re working hard to minimise any disruptions to our customers. We work with some great supply chain partners, so have had adequate time to prepare for the ban.”
Once the ban comes into effect, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday businesses will not be able to import any plastic straws, styrofoam food containers, plastic utensils and single-use plastic shopping bags into the country.
However, stores will be allowed to charge customers per bag a fee between 25 cents and $1. The cost of the bags must appear on a customer’s receipt as a “check out bag fee”.
Companies will also be allowed to keep the fees collected for the sale of these bags, but a record must be kept of the number of bags supplied during the reporting year, along with the gross and net proceeds of the sale.
Failure to keep these records could result in fines up to $2,000 and failure to supply a copy of the record to the Ministry of the Environment carries a fine up to $1,000.
Comments
SLYFOX19 4 years, 3 months ago
A progressive policy. Enforcement is a traditional problem. I'm guessing a new unit will be formed for enforcement? That should reduce the unemployment numbers.
shonkai 4 years, 3 months ago
So stores will be allowed to charge up to $1 for their stockpiled plastic bags that cost them less than a penny, AND keep the proceeds?!?!?!!?!? What lawmaker came up with that brilliant idea?
K4C 4 years, 3 months ago
anyone know when ANY siting government will clean up Nassau of derelict cars appliances etc, oh and glass bottles and containers ?
themessenger 4 years, 3 months ago
@K4C, actually the current government has done a fairly good job at cleaning up the island, the problem is, as has always been, as fast as the garbage is removed our slovenly, ignorant and disgusting people replace it with new, even in their own communities and neighborhoods. When the litter laws are enforced with fines with teeth and the perps are named, shamed and put on the streets to clean up what they threw there, then we might see a change in attitude but I won't be holding my breath.
K4C 4 years, 3 months ago
as Stevie Wonder said, I will believe it when I see it
Chucky 4 years, 3 months ago
This is complete bogus.
When the billions of plastic water bottles are eliminated we can worry about straws and grocery bags and balloons (if all things, yes balloons).
These idiots who passed this law need to get a grip
We need grocery bags, wether plastic paper or whatever. We don’t need bottled water, or soda.
Ban the real problems morons. Oh I guess I’ll forgot. You can’t ban water bottles or soda because that would hurt corporate profits.
We all use more plastic per day via bottles that bags straws etc combine Ned.
Total lunacy. Only possible reason is to take more money from the poor and funnel it to the rich.
ohdrap4 4 years, 3 months ago
Further, these are not "SINGLE USE PLASTICS". I reuse all plastic bags as garbage bags. Now I have to buy garbage bags and the prices are ridiculous.
Yes water bottle much bigger problems.
ohdrap4 4 years, 3 months ago
I used to buy the drink named snapple And reuse the glass bottles for storage in my kitchen.
They now have a label on the bottle "NOW PLASTIC BOTTLES". I stopped buying it.
Also the way to recycle plastic is to ship to southeast Asia burn it. Polluting other people's countries.
sealice 4 years, 3 months ago
another FNM joke are they going to hire the "dream police" (sorry cheap trick)to arrest everyone for these crimes???
themessenger 4 years, 3 months ago
Unfortunately, the "dream police" are some of the biggest offenders when it comes to littering and breaking the law in general, but then look at the recruitment pool available, the same D average illiterates that are the root of this and many other social problems that plague us! This is neither an FNM nor PLP joke rather a "joke" perpetrated on Bahamians by ourselves, we have met the enemy and it is us!
TalRussell 4 years, 3 months ago
Yeah, no. Ever before noticed how overly exited Minister Romauld has become over his latest paper bag policy?
Here comes the 400 newly recruited members the Royal Constabulary's plastics enforcement comrades. You can't make this up, you, just can't that if a shopper walks out of any business establishment after July 1, 2020 with goods obtained from that establishment packed into a self brought into plastic bag, the establishment's operator is subject to a $10,000 fine, or imprisonment. Yes, the government's official plastic bag spokesman has said that most certainly that there will be undercover members the constabulary conducting intelligence inside, outside and about colony's thousands business establishments. You has know your government means serious arrest and imprisonment business to all such offenders when they done has appointed designated individuals be official plastic bag enforcement spokeswoman's and spokesman's.
birdiestrachan 4 years, 3 months ago
The FNM cabinet will do and has done what ever they can to hurt poor people plastic garbage bags plastic bags to weigh produce will be available/
The poor out of the little they have will have to buy bags. doc them making some body richer.
Those bags in the ocean are not coming from poor folks over the hill they do not go by the ocean all that often
birdiestrachan 4 years, 3 months ago
The man of two birds and one goat. seems not to be concerned about oil spills
Some folks should be committed to the crazy hill before it is to late.
TalRussell 4 years, 3 months ago
Yeah, no. You remember this staging?
What strong, minus the bow tie, alive lookalike to the deceased colony's native born comrade handbag designer, who the undertaker propped-up sitting in a chair for his public viewing. No way stretch this real chair staging of a body happening into make up, you just, can't.
The_Oracle 4 years, 3 months ago
If one looks at the total of the types pf plastic banned it is but a fraction. If one looks at the exempted plastics list, it is extensive. I agree you have to start somewhere, but more than anything else the "fee" charged for Bio degradable or compostable bags is more an attempt at behavior modification. The tracking of "sales" of the bags is to assess the success and reduced sales of those bags. The most interesting thing is the exceptions for the use of various bag catagories "soley for the use of...." This implies the Bag police will be busy.
TalRussell 4 years, 3 months ago
Yeah, no. No sensible argument can, or should, be attempted by any comrade that the continued use plastics should and must not be erased from we colony of out islands - nevertheless, there are other serious matters which are not being addressed by the government - likes how is it that 35 to 75 percent of all the lands in Nassau, FREEport, and on Cat Island, are foreign owned or controlled? Why is it that it has come about that we colonialists are less Landholders today than at any time in we long history?
John 4 years, 3 months ago
Don’t forget this is just the first stage of the ban on plastics. More items, mostly single use plastics will be banned. The act says if you are caught with these items in your possession in The Bahamasyou can be fined or jailed or both. So persons traveling abroad. If you shop in say Walmart and mistakenly pack your purchases in the shopping bags. Or if you purchase a snack in an airport when returning home and they give you styrofoam or plastic forks or bags, these items will be confiscated at the airport or points of entry and you can be fined. Nd when the ban is extended to include plastic water bottles and soft drinks containers, many places don’t allow bottles.
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