GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands – The Cayman Islands Government is in the process of changing customs legislation to ban the importation of a significant number of types of single-use plastic.
Officials from the sustainability ministry said that small plastic grocery check-out bags, plastic straws, plastic stir sticks, plastic chopsticks, sky lanterns, polystyrene cups and clamshell food containers are all expected to be on the list of prohibited items.
According to Claire Hughes, the founder of the non-profit organisation, Plastic Free Cayman, the battle to ban single use plastic has been a long one.
She said the organisation has cleared tens of thousands of pounds of plastic from Cayman’s beaches over the last seven years, and in partnership with other environmental groups, such as the young activists from Protect Our Future, it has lobbied hard for this ban, which has taken years to take shape.
According to a press release, Cabinet recently approved further drafting instructions for amendments to the Customs Tariff Act (2023 revision) to remove some plastic from the duties list to the prohibited list.
Nearly one year ago then-premier Wayne Panton announced plans to implement the ban through a Prohibition Order. However, the government now believes that restricting the items through a legislative change to the Customs Tariff Act would be more effective.
According to Minister of Sustainability and Climate Resiliency Katherine Ebanks-Wilks the proposal was a significant step forward in the effort to protect the environment.
“The single-use plastic items we have identified are significant contributors to plastic pollution and environmental degradation globally,” she said. “Although many of these items wash onto our shores as trash from other jurisdictions, by banning their importation, we are proactively safeguarding our natural resources and prioritising the resilience of the Cayman Islands.”
Officials said restricting single-use plastics is just one part of reducing their environmental impact, and proper waste disposal is crucial for fostering cleaner, greener communities.
In commenting on the matter, Minister for Health Sabrina Turner pointed out that her ministry cannot advocate for the health of the nation without talking about environmental health.
“We cannot talk about environmental health without confronting the reality of the trash that we generate. By now, we all know that the space within our landfill is finite. The single-use plastic ban is one solution which the government is looking at to deal with our collective waste, and our success as a nation is equally, if not more, dependent on individual behaviours and practices around reducing, reusing and recycling,” she said.
Turner says the ban on some plastics will require everyone to make changes that may feel much less convenient at times.
“But when it comes to fighting to protect the things and people that we love, inconvenience is not even a thought, much less a deterrence. Let us all continue to work together towards the same goal of protecting Cayman now and in the future,” she added.
