I HAVE BEEN READING in the press the reactions of members of the public to the charge on plastic bags to be imposed from next year.
The measure is simply to reduce the environmental problems caused by plastic bags in this country and it is not a tax. Plastic bags do not biodegrade, and the best that can happen is that they break down into smaller pieces of plastic, which are still hazardous to the environment.
In England a five-pence fee has reduced the use of plastic bags by 85 per cent, and Barbados needs to reduce the approximately 100 million plastic bags used per year.
There is so much wastage of plastic bags, as items sold in plastic bags are placed in plastic bags, and many items are unnecessarily double-bagged. I take reusable shopping bags to the supermarket and I still have to insist that I don’t want plastic bags.
What will happen is that the public will get into the habit or taking their own sturdy, reusable bags, which will be on sale for a nominal fee at the check-out points at all retailers. If someone needs bags for their household garbage they can pay the 20-cent fee, but it will make people think before accepting unnecessary plastic bags.
The reality is that most items can be recycled or composted in Barbados, and with a little effort the garbage generated by a household can be reduced significantly.
Granted this may be more difficult for householders without a vehicle as there is no scheduled pick up of recyclables. In any case, certain retailers have never offered plastic bags and I don’t hear anyone complaining.
Yes, change is hard for people, but please realise that it for the good of the country and for future generations.
– PETER BYNOE