Frustration felt by Democratic Party (DP) leader Sarah Wescot-Williams over the fact that a bill initiated by her prohibiting the sale and use of single-use plastics, plastic straws and Styrofoam has still not been enacted (see Monday newspaper) is widely shared. People need only look around while driving in the country to understand the consequences, despite the best efforts of roadside cleaning crews and volunteers.
The law was passed in November 2020, but its implementation deadline of July 1, 2021 came and went. Parliament then unanimously decided to let government determine when.
There was talk of a required transition period, awareness campaign supported by the St. Maarten Development Fund (SMDF), etcetera. However, government then reportedly chose to switch to an import ban.
While that may be understandable for mainly practical reasons including enforcement and control, it meant even more delay. Wescot-Williams is not against the current process, but thinks something could have been done in the meantime.
It is hard to argue different with St. Maarten Nature Foundation and others having issued repeated warnings about the amount of trash that ends up in the local environment. This situation is also detrimental to the tourism economy, giving the destination an undesirable “dirty” reputation.
The original bill adopted by the legislature carried maximum penalties of 1,000 Netherlands Antillean guilders or six months in prison. Just imagine how much pollution of not only land but also the sea that deterrent could have prevented during the last four years alone.
