There are fewer single-use plastic items entering the waste disposal stream in Jamaica since the Ban on single-use plastics was introduced on a phased basis commencing in January 2019.

This was disclosed in a study on the volume of plastics entering the waste stream that was carried out by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in tandem with Ecogeos, a French-based consultancy firm.

Director of Environmental Management and Conservation at the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), Anthony McKenzie, says this is a positive development.

“A Waste Characterization Study done last year, June 2022, identified the fact that only 0.03 percent of plastics found in our waste disposal facility is made up of the banned items.  So, this is positive news. It demonstrates that the action to prohibit certain types of plastics is working and so when we compare the plastics that enter the disposal sites now in comparison to five years ago it’s obvious that based on the statistics in the findings of this report, the ban is working.”

Despite the success, however, some challenges remain, with the single-use plastic bags commonly known as “scandal bags”.

“In our market districts, we are still seeing these bags appearing and people using them, and we want to appeal to the public that these bags are banned…It’s either that they are being illegally imported or being manufactured locally. We are on to this activity, and we are sending out a clear warning that if we identify the importers or the manufacturers, they are going to be punished to the full extent of the law”, added Mr. McKenzie.

The NEPA has revealed that approximately 52 entities have been prosecuted since the implementation of the ban, with the latest court cases occurring in St. Thomas in July this year.

The ban on single-use plastic was implemented in three phases beginning in 2019.

The ban covers 24” x 24” polyethylene or polypropylene plastic bags (scandal bags), as well as the use of polyethylene or polypropylene plastic drinking straws.

It also covers packaging made wholly or in part of expanded polystyrene foam (Styrofoam*) used in the food and beverage industry and single-use polyethylene or polypropylene plastic bags which were used in department stores, as well as plastic drinking straws attached to or forming part of the packaging of juice boxes and drink pouches.

The Plastic Ban is governed by two pieces of legislation, namely, the Trade (Plastic Packaging Material Prohibition) Order, 2018, and The Natural Resources Conservation Authority (Plastic Packaging Material Prohibition) Order, 2018.

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