It is always good to see the youth getting involved with worthwhile initiatives in their community. After all, they are the ones who will have to deal with the consequences of today’s policies in the future.
One example is Creative Hands meeting with Parliament Chairwoman Sarah Wescot-Williams (see related story) on their proposal to eliminate single-use plastic shopping bags, after learning of her proposal to ban them. It must be said, this is something that has been under discussion for several years now, as yet to no avail.
The member’s draft bill being worked on at the moment will hopefully change that, once approved. It seems like a fairly straightforward matter, although as usual the devil is in the details.
An important aspect is what will replace the plastic bags that have such a detrimental effect on the environment, including marine life. Switching to reusable canvas alternatives as suggested certainly makes sense, but the question remains who will pay for these and how much.
It must be said, some local supermarkets have already stopped giving out the plastic bags and offer paper ones at a small fee instead. While people are rarely eager to pay extra, it appears consumers have grown comfortable with the idea and many now keep their own shopping bags at hand in the car.
In addition, the same thing is being done around the world and there is no valid reason St. Maarten should be an exception. The fact that Aruba passed such legislation before and is providing support to the local effort makes it even more feasible.
Of course, to ensure effectiveness the ban needs to be well-crafted, marketed and communicated. However, it’s pretty much a no-brainer and hardly rocket science.
