Fewer straws and bags since ban, but plastic trash persists
JET preps for ICC Day on Sept 21
Published:Friday | August 23, 2024 | 12:08 AMAsha Wilks/Gleaner Writer
Dr Theresa Rodriguez-Moodie, CEO of the Jamaica Environment Trust (JET), says one of the organisation’s long-term goals is to decrease the necessity for coastal clean-ups.
Speaking on Thursday at the launch of International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) Day 2024, which will be observed September 21, Rodriguez-Moodie said that while JET hopes to raise awareness about the effects of plastic pollution and improper waste management by hosting various clean-up activities, “we really don’t want to see an increase in clean-ups. We want to have less to clean up”.
She further stated that JET’s flagship clean-up activity, which is scheduled to take place at the Palisadoes Go-Kart Track, will be scaled down this year, given that there is a noticeable reduction in the amount of garbage at this and other sites it has frequently cleaned with the help of volunteers over the last three decades.
The environmentalist suggested that several factors may be contributing to this, such as The Ocean Clean-up initiative, which employs interceptors in the city’s drainage gullies to stop trash from entering Kingston Harbour, as well as an increase in coastal clean-up efforts.
Nonetheless, she stated: “We are still very excited to be able to gather volunteers this year to clean up on the coastline as we have done for the past 31 years.”
Rodriguez-Moodie emphasised that the ICC Day is not limited to picking up trash, but that data collection is critical as it assists with identifying the activities and general sources of pollution, supports pollution-prevention efforts, influences legislation, and promotes public awareness and education.
“Since the implementation of phases of the plastic ban in 2019 and in 2022 on certain single-use plastic food packaging, we’ve actually seen this reflected in the data collected on ICC Day, so there has been a significant reduction in plastic straws and bags, even though plastics in general still remain to be a major problem,” she said.
Last year, 6,859 volunteers removed 78,704 pounds of trash from 106.98 miles of coastline at 183 clean-up sites.
Beverage bottles, bottle caps, utensils cups, plates, plastic or foam pieces, food wrappers, and plastic bags were among the most common items discovered during these beach clean-ups, she said.
“Despite there being a voluntary deposit refund scheme for plastic bottles, they continue to be the number one item we collect every single year, and while recycling is important and is a part of the solution, it’s really not the solution, and we cannot depend on it,” she added.
According to Rodriguez-Moodie, minimising the country’s reliance on plastics is the best course of action.
“The data is saying that more action is needed, and while the fourth phase of the plastic ban is to be implemented, we believe that it still may not be enough, and more needs to be done,” she said.
It is unclear whether the fourth phase of the plastic ban has taken effect after several postponements since last year. The last announced date for implementation was August 1 – after postponements on June 1 and July 1 – but the ministry has not given any update since July.
The fourth phase of the ban prohibits the importation, distribution, sale, or use of any single-use plastic food container made wholly or in part of polyethylene, polypropylene, or polylactic acid.
But until other eco-friendly options are available, this rule does not apply to the clear plastic lids that typically accompany these plastic containers.
Furthermore, effective July 1, 2025, the ban will extend to personal care and cosmetic products containing plastic micro beads or micro plastics.
The theme for ICC Day 2024 remains the same as last year, ‘Sea the Change’, and JET has registered 208 sites across the island to be cleaned.
Justin Saunders, programme director at JET, said they are hoping to attract 500 volunteers this year, adding that clean-up activities will also take place on September 22.
Participants are being encouraged to download and use the CleanSwell mobile application, which enables users to log information and take images in order to participate in the data-collecting element of the clean-up.