Law Banning Single-Use Plastics Takes Effect March thirty-first

The regulation banning single-use plastics will come into effect about a month from now. While the law zeroes in on those types of plastics that are used locally, there are more complex instances when the law will more difficult to apply. Minister of Sustainable Development, Orlando Habet, says that government will have to make amendments to the law. In the meantime, they are appealing to Belizeans to voluntarily avoid using some plastics.

Orlando Habet

Orlando Habet, Minister of Sustainable Development, Climate Change & Disaster Risk Management

“The regulations that have just been passed become effective on the thirty-first of March and that is exactly what it says for the elimination and non use of single-use plastics – as we know it, the plastic bags, the plastic cups, plates, and foam, bottles and everything else. But it doesn’t take into consideration, for example, these (holding up a plastic water bottle.) water bottles. It doesn’t take into consideration wrapping material. It doesn’t take into consideration, something that’s very important right now for our industries, for example the plastic bags that are used to cover the bananas down south.  So we will have to see how we can work towards that and try to see that we can also find alternative material that can be used in the industry, but also to see how we can stop the use of those plastics that come in wraps. Very difficult because if you buy something from Amazon, it comes in a box but when you open it, it’s wrapped up in a plastic bag, so those are the things we need to address. So what we will do, we want to see if we can operate the current regulations and then start adding in some amendments to start eliminating the others. But what I’m asking the public is as Belizeans, we don’t really have to wait until there is a regulation or a law for us to comply. We can do it voluntarily.”