St Kitts and Nevis aims to go plastic free

St Kitts and Nevis is seriously considering implementing a ban on single use plastics, according to the minister responsible for the environment, Eugene Hamilton.

In parliament, Hamilton noted that members of the international community continue to lobby for a worldwide ban on single use plastics.

He said while the federation is fully cognisant of the threat that single use plastics have on the environment, the phasing out process will be gradual and can take as long as five years.

This, Minister Hamilton believes is necessary, to give citizens enough time to adjust.

He said: “This will allow local companies to retrofit and retool their companies to adapt to the ban.”

The Ministry of Tourism and Sustainable Destination Council have joined forces, as they continue to advocate for the ban of single use plastics.

In 2018 they started Plastic Free July, an initiative meant to educate society on the ways plastic pollution threatens marine life, personal health and the islands tourism product.

Several islands have already banned the use of single use plastics, among them Jamaica, Dominica and Turks and Caicos.