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Anthony McKenzie, Director of Environmental Management and Conservation at NEPA
As the country prepares for the third phase of the ban on certain categories of single use plastics and Styrofoam, the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) is reporting a fair amount of success with the programme.
Come January 1, the importation of plastic straws attached to juice boxes and juice pouches will be prohibited.
Speaking Tuesday on TVJ's Smile Jamaica programme, Anthony McKenzie, Director of Environmental Management and Conservation at NEPA, gave an update on the country's plastic waste management since the first phase of the ban took effect in 2019.
He said the ban on "scandal" bags was relatively successful, however, more work needs to be done to eliminate them totally.
The simultaneous ban on Styrofoam and plastic straws has been very successful, he reported, noting: "We haven't been seeing much of that. In fact, that has been perhaps totally eliminated from the stream."
Mr. McKenzie said NEPA is now focused on encouraging entrepreneurs to develop alternatives to plastics.
He said scientists are working assiduously to create biodegradable products.
"(They are) using algae to make paper. They’re upscaling from single use plastics to other products, so there's a lot of innovation. There are a lot of startups were particularly interested in this particular era," he said.
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