Single-use plastic bags to be banned effective 2020

The ban on single-use plastic bag is expected to take effect in 2020

Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has announced that the banning of single use plastic bags will take effect from 2020.

Skerrit made this announcement on State-owned DBS Radio this morning.

He said about a hundred thousand reusable shopping bags will be imported to Dominica and will be provided to households on island.

“The banning of single use plastic bags will take effect in 2020 and in anticipation of that, we are bringing in about one hundred thousand reusable shopping bags that we are giving to households in Dominica so that the average person who may not have the ability to have a bag, we will give you a bag so that there will be no excuse why you want to use single use plastic bags in Dominica.”

The prime minister said the government is removing taxes and duties on biodegradable items in order “to make it more affordable to every Dominican to have access to biodegradable items.”

Skerrit added that people depend on the sea and land for food and cautioned that, “if we do not conserve and protect them, as well as rivers and streams, there will be a problem.”

He said it is not about international obligation or press; its about doing things that are fundamentally beneficial to Dominica.

Copyright 2012 Dominica News Online, DURAVISION INC. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or distributed.

Disclaimer: The comments posted do not necessarily reflect the views of DominicaNewsOnline.com and its parent company or any individual staff member. All comments are posted subject to approval by DominicaNewsOnline.com. We never censor based on political or ideological points of view, but we do try to maintain a sensible balance between free speech and responsible moderating.

We will delete comments that:

  • contain any material which violates or infringes the rights of any person, are defamatory or harassing or are purely ad hominem attacks
  • a reasonable person would consider abusive or profane
  • contain material which violates or encourages others to violate any applicable law
  • promote prejudice or prejudicial hatred of any kind
  • refer to people arrested or charged with a crime as though they had been found guilty
  • contain links to "chain letters", pornographic or obscene movies or graphic images
  • are off-topic and/or excessively long

See our full comment/user policy/agreement.

8 Comments

  1. Original
    July 10, 2019

    All this effort to make life difficult for the average person but what about all those manufacturers and merchants, the imported plastic packaging? Coke bottles and the likes KFC, snacks etc. are those not plastic? Do they not need addressing? Theses are seen in the environment on a much wider scale as people normally have alternate use for the plastic bags but the packaging of those imports are what is truly referred to as single use. What is the government going to do about those?

  2. MExican
    July 6, 2019

    What sense does it make to ban plastic bags yet at the same time you callously engage in heinous environmental violations like:
    1 dumping billions of tonnes of toxic soil unto the corals reefs.
    2. recklessly ‘over-dredging’ rivers
    3. maliciously draing of the wetlands(to servedubious foreign interest)
    4. continue to build roads without proper drainage

    ……and much more. PURE HYPOCRISY!!!

  3. viewsexpressed
    July 6, 2019

    Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has announced that the banning of dirty Red Plastic Bags as a result of the Red Corrupt Labour government single use of plastic bags will take effect as soon as this politically failed RED Plastic Bag Red Labour Corrupt outdated bags goes and stays away from our nature isle Dominica. We have had enough of failed Skrerrit and his worthless 19 ministers who only spoke a bunch of red Rubbish to us Dominicans where there has been no substance for meaningful development in our nature isle.

  4. Annon
    July 6, 2019

    Somebody is making money off that. Though irresponsible use of the plastic bags leads to pollution problems, many people still use them afterwards for other things. This puts more money in the pockets of the businesses because they no longer have to buy the bags in which to put their merchandise, however, the prices don’t usually go down. I have to say though, there is too much plastic in everything, including sea salt.

  5. Roger Burnett
    July 6, 2019

    Why not natural fiber canvas bags? I make my own, one of which has been doing service for thirty years. Or better still, locally made shopping baskets handwoven from our own natural materials.

    And while we’re at it; what about banning ugly foreign made and imported plastic windows and doors. Why not revert back to longer lasting and aesthetically pleasing home-grown and locally made hardwood alternatives.

    But it would mean a different mind set: one that takes pride in acquiring a skill and one that knows the satisfaction of working for a living.

  6. July 6, 2019

    Great idea but these bags should be made locally we use to have a sewing industry where they make school uniforms and other garments those with sewing machine can make these bag for a small fee the material should be duty free so many things we can make for our selves and don’t have to order.

  7. Zandoli
    July 6, 2019

    When I was growing up paper bags were the norm to carry groceries. But that all changed. It is time we returned to the paper bags.

  8. Bring back the kidnapped Dominican parrots
    July 5, 2019

    Good plan, plastic kills sea turtles and other wild life on land and in the ocean since it never degrades. Google the huge island of plastic and garbage in the Pacific south of Hawaii moving east. It is bigger than Dominica.

Post a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

:) :-D :wink: :( 8-O :lol: :-| :cry: 8) :-? :-P :-x :?: :oops: :twisted: :mrgreen: more »

 characters available