Alternatives to Single-use Plastics Already Being Brought In

And if you are wondering what kinds of products can be used instead, the Chief Environmental Officer says sufficient biodegradable alternatives are already available in Belize.

Anthony Mai

Anthony Mai, Chief Environmental Officer, Department of the Environment

“We believe that there are sufficient. At the inception of this initiative a task force was put together to look at the approach to ban plastic. On that task force there were representatives from private sector, among others. The private sector representative guided us in terms of the product we need to ban such that it wouldn’t have a major impact on the productive sector of the country. So, you would see that we were quite selective in terms of the items we banned. We were sure then that there were substitutes and alternatives to these products. Over the implementation of this act, since 2020 when it was enacted several products have been registered by several different companies. On a daily basis we receive applications; we process applications, so we know the quantities of these biodegradable products that are coming into the country. We know who the major importers are. So, we believe from that information that there is sufficient in country to supply the demand that is there.”