Citing what he described as sobering statistics, government Minister, Bradley Felix, has appealed for collaborative action against plastics.
Felix is Minister of Commerce, International Trade, Investment, Enterprise Development and Consumer Affairs.
He spoke on the occasion of World Consumer Rights Day on Monday.
Felix made reference to the 2019 Forbes report.
And he quoted the report as saying that the Caribbean Islands are the biggest plastic polluters per capita in the world.
Felix disclosed that according to the report, the little island of Saint Lucia produces the 6th largest amount of plastic waste per capita in the Caribbean.
As a result, it said that Saint Lucia generates more than four times the amount of plastic waste per capita as China.
“Saint Lucia’ is responsible for 1.2 times more improperly disposed plastic waste per capita than China,” the document stated.
“These are sobering statistics,” Felix declared.
He explained that addressing plastic pollution requires a collaborative approach.
In this regard, Felix said it must include Government, public operators, private sector agencies and civil society.
He disclosed that there has been extensive consultations among the sectors to develop best fit approaches to deal with the challenges of collecting and disposing of single use plastics.
He recalled that in 2019 Saint Lucia passed in Parliament the Styrofoam and Plastic Food Service Containers (Prohibition) Act; No. 22 of 2019 and it was further amended in 2020.
In addition, Felix announced that the amendment of the Consumer Protection Act, first passed in 2016, is in its final draft with the Legislative Drafting Unit.
He said the implementation of the Consumer Protection Act in the coming weeks will augment the suite of legislation and policies the Government has implemented, to ensure the safety and well-being of consumers and guide the activities of the business community for the benefit of the nation.
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