by Linda Straker
As part of a proper waste management strategy, the Government of Grenada has disclosed its intention to approve a legislation that will ban the use of expanded polystyrene, commonly referred to as ‘styrofoam’, and plastic.
“I intend to bring to parliament a styrofoam bill which will ban the importation of styrofoam as a first start. From that we will be moving to plastic,” said Health Minister Nickolas Steele, as he explained that there will also be new legislations with regards to the burning of fire and recycling of products.
“We’re way, way behind time for that, there can be no argument about that. They are not biodegradable so they stay in the earth. They stay wherever they are thrown, for years and years,” said Tourism Minister Clarice Modeste — who disclosed that the Grenada Hotel and Tourism Association (GHTA) has already adopted a policy of not using styrofoam.
“Hoteliers have been pushing for this. Banning styrofoam is one of the measures we are taking to protect the environment,” said the Tourism Minister, who remarked that styrofoam blowing in the wind is not a healthy sight.
“They have proven to us that it’s doable, so we know it can work,” she said, while pointing that other products can be successfully used to replace styrofoam. “This has become an environmental problem, especially when we look at our landfill which has so many problems. We just cannot afford to continue to compound it,” she said.
Steele said that the first piece of legislation will be dealing with the styrofoam issue and it will be taken to the parliament during the March sitting of the House of Representatives.
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