Plastic activists lament delay on ban

| 15/02/2021 | 7 Comments
Cayman News Service
Members of the Cayman Islands Cadet Corps join the Valentine’s Day clean-up

(CNS): The Cayman Islands was set to start 2021 with a ban on some single use plastics but officials have delayed the implementation of the long-promised policy, blaming the COVID-19 pandemic. Now activists believe the early dissolution of parliament has again set back plans to get the plastic ban back on track. After another 1,300lbs of garbage was picked up from beaches this weekend, the founder of Plastic Free Cayman, Claire Hughes, remains concerned by the delays in addressing the serious plastic problem here.

Hughes said she and PFC members continue to push for a national clean-up campaign and to lobby for the plastic ban policy similar to those already implemented on other Caribbean islands. “Sadly, with Parliament dissolved, more time will be wasted in addressing this issue,” she said.

PFC teamed up with Jeep345, the Cayman Islands Cadet Corps, CaymanEco, and Protect Our Future for a Valentine’s Day clean-up at Lovers Wall in East End on Sunday morning. Carina Ecclefield led the event, where more than 100 volunteers removed over 1,350 pounds of trash, most of it plastic.

Volunteers found that smaller blowholes are continually releasing bits of plastic with each cycle, a situation which they said appears to be getting worse with each passing year. In addition, the amount of bottle-caps washing up indicate that many of these are littering the ocean floor.

“The bottle caps and plastics were overwhelming,” said Ecclefield. However, she added that with so many volunteers, they managed to do some serious good.

Another syringe and vial of blood was found and delivered to Health City for proper disposal and reported to the Department of Health Regulatory Services, which is currently conducting a survey of the bio-waste problem and trying to identify the source.


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Category: Land Habitat, Science & Nature

Comments (7)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    7.46 Disrupting a meeting can get you arrested among other things. Careful notto get charged with inciting a riot.

  2. Anonymous says:

    Our Minister of Environment and his Counsellor are too busy otherwise to care about a little thing like banning plastic and styrofoam – of course we know why the styrofoam won’t be banned. It’s the most disgusting thing!

    • Anonymous says:

      Yes, Mr. 1:38 pm, it is obvious that we have shiddy leadership!

    • Really getting down says:

      I’m sorry to intrude on ya photo op kids, but wasn’t this held up because of the pandemic where supermarkets resorted to bags again. Lobby the new government nah this one ain’t listening Dey counting cash.

  3. Anonymous says:

    more civil service incompetence…

  4. Anonymous says:

    So they pick it up, only to have it go to Mt Trashmore and blow off it?

    1200+ lbs of more plastic at the past-capacity-dump that is still without recycling ability in 2021?

    Abhorrent with the level of building taking place on Grand Cayman. Everyone so worried about traffic but…. hello!????

    Think about it during this election year.

  5. Who needs a trail of breadcrumbs when promises can be discarded just as easily says:

    Still waiting on:

    -the minimum wage review- https://www.caymancompass.com/2019/07/28/caymans-minimum-wage-to-be-reassessed/

    – District councils – https://www.caymancompass.com/2020/10/16/select-committee-to-be-formed-to-update-district-councils-law/

    The amended and modernised election law -https://www.caymancompass.com/2019/10/31/lawmakers-underscore-need-for-more-modern-elections-law/

    and who could forget the promised review of what is essentially a hostage situation regarding gasoline prices on these islands which regardless of global trends only goes up in Cayman (even during a global collapse in the price of oil) – https://www.caymancompass.com/2021/02/09/regulator-scrutiny-has-helped-bring-down-fuel-prices/

    among dozens of other things that were promised
    if you actually believed a word Alden and Co sold you for good press then I truly feel for you
    Alden and his minions especially freshly whipped, trained and subservient Austin Harris who hasn’t said a peep in 4 years and the nominally “independent” ministers Tara Rivers and Dwayne Seymour are about as trustworthy as a freshly sober alcoholic behind a bar

    Good effort, try again in four years I guess

    ** If any people who actually want policies like this implemented you should be going to PPM meetings and rallies and interrupting them and or confronting the candidates while recording with your phone to ensure they can’t weasel out of giving you a direct answer or conveniently not hearing what you say
    as in all likelihood knowing the idiots who live in George Town and the Sister Islands they will be in government again one way or another come April 15th 2021

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