Basseterre, St. Kitts, December 21, 2020 (SKNIS): Banning single-use plastic reduces pollution and the demand for plastic production. As such, the move to ban single-use plastics in St. Kitts and Nevis will be further pursued in 2021.
“In 2021, we will be doing a lot of work in terms of the banning of single-use plastics because plastics are a major concern here in St. Kitts and Nevis and around the world. The huge amount of plastics that we are using they are creating so much pressure on the landfills.
They are ending up in our oceans and they are causing problems for marine life that we will in turn consume,” said Minister of Environment and Cooperatives, the Honourable Eric Evelyn, on Friday, December 18, day four of the Budget Debate. “So, I want to give a warning to persons who like to throw their plastics all over the place that eventually you might be eating some of these plastics that are not good for you.
Minister Evelyn said that a public awareness campaign will be carried out in 2021 to continue to educate the general public and keep them updated on the plans.
“We are going to be going on a campaign to eventually ban single-use plastics. It will be a phased-approach and it will be a consultative approach as well,” he said. “Eventually, we will be banning the importation, the sale and distribution, the use and, of course, we will be banning the manufacture of plastic bottles here as well in St. Kitts and Nevis. And so, I want to sound it here and just to have our folks in the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis be aware that we will be trying to ban single-use plastics.”
He noted that a survey was conducted in 2019 and that over 90 percent of persons were in favour of banning single-use plastics. Also, over 60 percent of the respondents were in favour of using alternatives in place of plastics.
Minister Evelyn solicited the support of the general public when the campaign and consultations are rolled out. He noted that banning of single-use plastics yields several benefits and it is a means to change people’s daily habits by eliminating and reducing waste from single-use plastics.