“July 1 is it!”
That is the word from Minister of Maritime Affairs and the Blue Economy, Kirk Humphrey, who made it clear that there will be no extensions on the ban on single-use petro-based single-use plastic, which took effect from Monday.
“Barbados …what we are seeking to do is way too important for us to continue moving the goal post. The ban date remains July 1 for petro-based single use plastics and polystyrene,” he stated.
Minister Humphrey was at the time speaking during the opening of Dive Fest Barbados 2019 at the Copacabana Beach Bar, on Tuesday night.
Noting that Tuesday was the second day of the ban on plastics and polystyrene in Barbados, the minister said there would be some who would consistently try to “push back”.
But, he stated that government had been “extremely fair” in the process, and had more than enough consultations with the key players in the industry before implementing the ban.
During his brief address, the minister said the timeline to the process started with government’s decision last July to ban the use of petro-based single-use plastics.
He said the first conversation with large importers was held in September 2018 with a view to institute the ban from January 1, 2019.
But, after concerns raised by importers and calls for more time, government revised the ban date to April 1, 2019. That, he said, was further pushed back when key stakeholders asked for an extension in April to get rid of their plastics.
“We extended the ban for an additional three months, which pushed us to now, and people are still asking for more time. I believe that as a government we have been extremely fair. I believe that the level of consultation that we have had with the people in the industry has been more than enough. I feel that we will have to continue the conversation with the people that brought in the plastic and have the styrofoam in stock, but I think July 1 is it. That is it,” Mr. Humphrey stated.