Plastic pollution continues to be a global crisis and therefore requires urgent action.
This was according to Minister for the Environment, Cozier Frederick who was delivering the feature address during the launching ceremony of The RECYCLE OECS Demonstration Project this week. The Dominica Solid Waste Management Corporation (DSWMC) is the implementation partner for the demonstration model in Dominica.
In fact, he believes it is important that all member-states across the region address that problem.
“Plastic pollution is a global crisis and it therefore requires urgent action, but more importantly urgent collaboration among all sectors of society,” he said.
Frederick continued, “And so, it appears to me that we all have a crucial role to play in leading the charge towards a sustainable and plastic-free society.”
He added, “It affects our physical environment, but also it affects our health.”
Frederick indicated that the ocean is infested with plastics; it is endangering marine life and disrupting the entire ecosystem.
“It impacts all island developing states and Dominica is no exception,” he noted.
Frederick believes that the time to act is now, but in order to do so there should be a clear understanding of the pathways and the synergies that can be harnessed across the value chain. Furthermore, he explained that after Hurricane Maria destroyed Dominica in 2017 the government took action and developed the Climate Resilience Recovery Plan (CRRP). He said this plan articulates the government’s mission to become the first climate-resilient country.
“We realize we can aspire to be such, but there are things that we have to do,” Frederick stated.
Firstly, he believes there must be a collective consciousness and secondly, “we must have corporate social responsibility.”
During the 2018-2019 National Budget address Prime Minister Skerrit spoke of a list of items to be banned from importation. These items include plastic forks, plastic plates, straws, cup lids, styrofoam plates, and styrofoam bowls banned from importation from January 1, 2019.
“But we realized that this ban alone cannot address the plastic problem,” he remarked. “And this is why the Dominica Solid Waste Corporation has developed programs and initiatives and started a conversation to undertake the recycling of all available plastic material.”
He went on to state that waste diversion is a critical pillar in waste management.
“And so, waste diversion serves as a medium in transitioning from collecting, moving, dumping of waste to a more circular economic approach,” Frederick explained.
He said Dominica is the only country in the OECS that offers a daily collection of recyclable materials at the household level island-wide. Meantime, Frederick said that within the indigenous community, his ministry has enacted some waste management services, hoping to reduce waste within that space. He stated that the Kalinago Zero Waste Project forms part of these services.
“What we are doing is we have been able to procure and distribute over 70 plastic plates for recycling material, we have distributed more than 370 residential bins, we have done more than 200 bales of reusable shopping bags,” Frederick revealed.
The new shopping bags these days are made out of biodegradable plastics; hence they dissolved in a period of time.
In America; when we go to the grocery shopping center, we have a choice of paper shopping bags or bio-degradable plastics!
You know, it is interesting to read Cozier’s crap, he babbles, but who is listening to him and his manipulator the puppet master Roosevelt Skerrit? They are incapable of doing anything to generate industries, and work (jobs), for the youths and the rest in Dominica; nevertheless, he stands there talking bull-shi. as if anybody globally listens to him.
Before one can try to get into a league where they do not belong they must have a resolve to present to whatever atrocity is at hand.
Clowns like Cozier and the rest live off the blood of the helpless, and poor people of the country; dressed up in wool and polyester attire, burning up in hundred degree heat; want to play important, while the country is in reverse gear heading over a precipice!
While he spews his garbage; as if he is some scientists, without any source to support his theory; it would be better if he quoted it as he plagiarized it: “Around the world, plastic waste — everything from bottles and wrappers, parts in our phones and televisions to the foam in our mattresses — is acknowledged as a global crisis, endangering marine life and contaminating our water and food.
More than 170 countries are looking for a solution as part of a UN committee negotiating a legally binding agreement on reducing plastic waste.
“The impacts of plastic production and pollution on the triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature loss and pollution are a catastrophe in the making,” said the UN.
Negotiations wrapped up in Paris earlier this month and will continue in Nairobi, Kenya later this year.
But finding a way to put the genie back in the bottle is no easy task. And finding a solution depends on what the question is — should we be eliminating plastic or…
Con:
But finding a way to put the genie back in the bottle is no easy task. And finding a solution depends on what the question is — should we be eliminating plastic or finding ways to manufacture it that would make it more efficient to recycle?
The UN said that we need an entire overhaul of the system, including a redesign of products and packaging to reduce plastic use, as well as systems to ensure plastic is reused and recycled.
It’s an idea that is also being touted by the influential Ellen MacArthur Foundation, which is dedicated to creating a circular economy in numerous areas of the economy including fashion, food and plastic, by using design to eliminate waste and pollution, and ensuring that items are reusable, recyclable or compostable.
The foundation was behind the “Plastics Pact Network,” a global initiative that involves some of the world’s largest packaging companies and manufacturers, including Coca-Cola, Proctor and Gamble, which pledged to have 100 per…
Dominica oes not recycle plastic. All plastic waste that is collected separately from household waste is shipped in containers to Indonesia where it contributes to a massive pollution and social welfare programme.
The best thing that has happened to Dominica,is that,there will be no Lennox Linton,no Hector Spraggs John and no Daniel Lugay in parliament,at least for the next 5 years.
Wrong, Skerrit and the current administration is. Looks whats happening in Dominica. Nothing but crime and bobol. I hear they gave Nanton the boot. And take the one from Aid bank to put in his place. More nonsense from bad to worse. And all you think is plastic that is the major threat to health and environment? I hear the money drying up. And soon is between airport and salary for government workers. which one all you want more?
The major threat to the people’s health is poverty. The masses have to dine on cheap, salty, sugary, high cholesterol consumables. No wonder so many Dominicans are doing down with hypertension, diabetes, strokes, cardiac arrest, kidney failure, obesity, etc. Many lives are cut short due to these avoidable medical issues.
Ridding the country of useless plastic objects matters but the wellbeing of people matters more.
Over three years ago the government banned single use plastic shopping bags. https://dominicanewsonline.com/news/homepage/news/single-use-plastic-bags-to-be-banned-effective-2020/
But nothing has changed!
I have great difficulty in persuading the cashiers at many of our supermarkets NOT to put my purchases in there promotional single use plastic bags (usually doubled) but to put them in my homemade canvas shopping bags.