It is comforting to note that Environment Minister, Hon. Dwayne Seymour, is committed to take action on plastics being used in the Cayman Islands.

This was in response to the protest by students last Friday (24) on the steps of the Government Administration Building.

Minister Seymour was reported as saying, “It’s not just as simple as hearing comments from someone or getting protest from someone, and then acting on it the next day. There’s a lot of illegal revocation around this and international revocations that we have to abide by and research. So I am committed to this obviously.”

Aha.

So the commitment is divided. Obviously, the illegal revocation around this and international revocations will be committed to first.

Therefore, students, do not expect much action, quickly.

Recently, Hurley’s announced they were doing away with plastic bags at their store. Plastic straws have been banned at a number of our bars and restaurants.

It does sound so promising. It’s not.

Have you noticed how much packaging in our stores is plastic? Not just the thin plastic being used in bags and straws. The heavy, thick plastic that you have to get a knife to help you open it.

I’ve not seen any announcements even remotely dealing with that problem.

Therefore, doing away with plastic straws and bags isn’t going to make a ha’pence of difference.

In 2018 381 million tonnes of plastic was produced world wide.

No matter what we do it is the manufacturers and goods producers who must change their attitude to using plastic as their number one source for packaging. Their linear model in which items are designed to be thrown away immediately after use, sometimes after just seconds, must end.

Policymakers and governments worldwide must safeguard precious environmental resources and indeed public health by encouraging sustainable production and consumption through legislation.

To stem the rising tide of single-use plastics, we need government leadership and in some cases strong intervention.

Unless we actively campaign for the above banning plastic straws and bags will not work. The first step must come from the private sector and we also must change our habit of buying products encased in plastic.