Two business establishments welcome ban on Styrofoam and plastics

The ban on Styrofoam and plastic items has taken effect as of January and two of the largest importers of these products on the island have welcomed the move.

General Manager of the Solid Waste Management Corporation, Florian Mitchel, told DNO that the ban, in keeping with Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit’s 2018-2019 budget announcement, is now in effect and the importation of any Styrofoam-based or plastic packaging products, is not allowed.

Mitchel said the decrease of these non-biodegradable materials in the country will result in less harm to the environment.

“Plastic based materials do not decompose that easily, so it will take hundreds of years before any plastic based material goes back into the environment from the same element that it came from,” he said. “From a solid waste stand point any alternative that can be broken down back into the environment is something that we’ll appreciate from an environmental perspective because of the hazards of plastic and Styrofoam on the environment. It’s something of great benefit to us as a reduction.”

He said apart from the Solid Waste Management Corporation, other organisations have important roles to play in carrying out this initiative adding, that if action is being taken responsibly, this ban will have a positive impact on the lives of Dominicans.

Dominica News Online (DNO) spoke to two major companies that previously imported the banned items to find out how they were adapting to the change.

J. Astaphan and Co. Ltd had started to import bio degradable table-ware since 2013, even before the government first announced its intention to implement the ban in 2015.

“This decision prompted us to look for an alternative line of tableware products. In 2017, we sourced and started the distribution of our very own line of biodegradable tableware products so we can safely say we had been very much prepared. Additionally, we plan to introduce more biodegradable products in early February at very attractive prices,” Jamal Francis Senior Purchasing officer at Astaphan’s told DNO.

“Our company has always been one which cared for the environment as we have in the past included in our offering to our customers Eco-friendly products and have been on the fore front on moving into the use of Reusable shopper bags instead of plastic shopping bags,” he added.

Francis said that Styrofoam & plastic products accounted for a sizable portion of the company’s overall sales, “but we are optimistic that the sales on our current & future offerings of biodegradable products will compensate for this loss.”

He said the main challenge of importing biodegradable replacements for single-use Styrofoam & plastic products is the noticeable price difference between the two line of products.

“One contributing factor to the difference in price was the fact that biodegradable products attracted 20% import duties. Our company and others alike met with the key stake holders in recent times, where we presented our recommendations  & concerns,” Francis stated.

The government subsequently announced that it had given the green light to remove the 20% import duties on these products, as of January 2019.

“We want to thank the Government of Dominica and other key officials for taking this decision,” Francis stated.

Marketing Manager of H.H.V Whitchurch and Company, Michelle Joseph, said the company is complying with the laws and rules and regulations that the government has put in place and are trying to source the best bio degradable products.

Joseph says it is something that the company has tried to pursue in the past and although the response from the public wasn’t too positive at first, H.H.V Whitchurch is happy to be getting support from the Dominican government.

“It’s something we have been looking at from a business standpoint, where we have looked at it a few years back and the response wasn’t too promising from the public, so we are actually enthusiastic that we have the support from the Government of Dominica; that you must comply to it,” she noted.

She said some of the replacement products are a bit difficult to source at this time but all efforts are being made to proceed with this initiative.

“We have already sourced some products but some of the materials are a bit difficult in getting such as packing trays, but this is a task that we welcome because it is helping the environment which is something that needs to be done.”

“This is going to impact our health and from an environmental perspective, the ban on that material is going to help improve litter management and our landfill capabilities to have less of those materials coming to our landfill.” said Dorian Mitchell.

He called on all Dominicans to be aware of these changes and cooperate with the government in order to keep our environment and surroundings clean and safe.

He said that there’s a phasing out period for the sale and use of the banned items until July 1st after which, any establishment found importing or using single-use Styrofoam and plastic items will be fined.