How the Jamaican Plastic Ban is creating Entrepreneurs but Styrofoam Alternatives needed

Happy 2019 everybody!!!

Back in the writer's chair on my blog after spending much time adjusting to teaching at a new school, Calabar High School. But blogging is my passion and I intend to keep going, as I prefer to be tired than broke!!!

It has finally happened and it's now official!!!

The ban on single-use plastic bags, straws and Styrofoam is now in place as of January 1st 2019 as reported in the article “Plastic ban begins tomorrow, Vaz updates the public”, published Monday December 31, 2018, The Jamaica Gleaner.

So says Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness on his twitter feed.

Effective immediately, all stocks of single use plastic bags of dimension 24"x24" or less and disposable plastic straws should be embargoed by manufacturers, importers and distributors in a manor prescribed by the National Compliance and Regulatory Authority. pic.twitter.com/Si1vtDLAj7

— Andrew Holness (@AndrewHolnessJM) January 1, 2019

Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation Daryl Vaz is quite insistent that this ban be kept in place. The maximum fine under the Trade Act (Trade Plastic Packing Material Order) 2018, is $2,000,000, while under the NRCA (Plastic Packaging Prohibiting) Order 2018, the fine is $50,000.

I've been expecting this since February 2018, as noted on my blog article entitled “How a Ban on Styrofoam, Plastics needs Recycling Initiative to save the Jamaican Environment” so this is quite a New Years Present!!

Both Orders carry a term of imprisonment of two years, respectively.

And naturally, a lot of Jamaican were caught off guard, as truth be told, Daryl Vaz made this announcement back in September 2018 as noted in the article “Gov't bans single use shopping bags, plastic straws, Styrofoam effective January 1, 2019”, published Monday, September 17, 2018, . The Jamaica Gleaner

So we really had only 4 months to prepare!!! With the threat of such a hefty fine hanging over the heads of retailers and Jamaicans alike, was the public adequately prepared for what was to come?

Plastic Ban - Ban needed on Plastic used in packaging

I personally support this as I've been calling for it for a long time on my blog as noted in my blog article “How Plastic Bottles and Styrofoam may soon be banned in Jamaica”.

In fact, Jamaica can also recycle 500ml Plastic bottles, but the return for collecting Plastic must be at least JA$100 per bottle for it to work successfully as noted in my blog article entitled “How JA$100 for recycling 500ml Plastic bottles and Styrofoam Ban will save Jamaica's Environment”.

Still there will be resistance, especially from members of the informal sector i.e. vendors who sell cooked food, who use styrofoam containers to sell food as noted in the article “Now what? Vendors question options after plastic ban”, published Friday December 28, 2018, The Jamaica Gleaner.

So are there any alternatives to single-use plastic bags, straws and Styrofoam?

Alternatives available - Biodegradable Bags and Bamboos straws but no Styrofoam replacement

Alternatives are available as at least three (3) companies have popped out of nowhere, mostly run by young entrepreneurs to supply alternatives to single-use plastic bags, straws.

First, there is a start-up called Creative People Tings.

Albeit their website, www.tpctings.com, is currently down, much is known about their early success as noted in the article “‘Nuh Inna Di Scandal': Young entrepreneurs create stylish totes to replace plastic bags”, published Tuesday January 1, 2019, The Jamaica Gleaner.

Creative People Tings sells cloth tote bags and have been thoughtful enough not to use plastic in their packaging, as noted by director of operations, Marc Gayle, quote: "One of the things that we've debated [among] ourselves is not using plastic in our packaging. So we decided, early, to use cloth strings and paper tags to label our bags, as well as package them in paper bags".

Then there is Samo Johnson, CEO of Eco-tings Jamaica, who is offering alternatives to almost everything that is being banned and all of them are reusable as noted in the article “Plastic Ban | Eco-tings Jamaica providing plastic alternatives”, by Danae Hyman, published Friday December 28, 2018, The Jamaica Gleaner.

Finally, there is an more official looking company that has been up and running for almost a year called SavGore that has been selling customizable biodegradable bags as noted in the article “Plastic Ban | Savgore Limited to sell eco-friendly bags to public”, published Wednesday January 2, 2019, The Jamaican Gleaner.

I'm still yet to see any alternative to Styrofoam; I suspect Wisynco is working on a biodegradable alternative as they're hinted in my blog article entitled “Why Wisynco making coloured Biodegradable Styrofoam heralds Beeswax Cardboard Packaging”.

Plastic removal from Jamaica - Plastic Packaging needs to go as well

I've made it know that plastic Bottles should be next on the radar, preferably being removed gradually by taxation of their usage as noted in my blog article entitled “CARPI Taxation and Recycling Partners of Jamaica Bottle Deposit Scheme will eliminate Plastics by 2025”.

They are a threat to our health in the long term as studies have shown that they may be getting into our foods as noted in my blog article entitled “University of East Anglia's School of Chemistry discovers microplastic in Bottled Water”.

But equally as troubling as single-use plastic Bags is plastic packaging.

It's really irritating to have to purchase an item in a plastic bag, only to then have to take that item out of the plastic bag and now have to throw it away or find some use for that additional bit of plastic.

Getting rid of single use plastic bags should start with foods, especially common ones such as flour and sugar as noted in my blog article entitled “BSJ's NCRA Standardized packaging of Flour and Rice heralds more packaged products”

Otherwise we will soon be dying of illnesses due to plastics in our foods and experience continued flooding of our roadways due to plastic clogging our drains.