It was proudly announced that King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima and Princess Amalia during their upcoming visit will attend the In-No-Plastic Science Fair (see related story) in which various primary and secondary schools have been invited to participate. Organiser St Maarten Nature Foundation called the special guests’ presence an “added bonus” for the students.
However, although the theme of this gathering at Belair Community on February 7 is “Plastic and Our Environment” a local single-use plastics ban remains sorely lacking despite many years of discussions. Much of this trash consequently still ends up in nature with all possible consequences.
Other islands of the Dutch kingdom, including Aruba and Saba, have been able to successfully introduce similar legislation, so there is no need to reinvent the wheel when it comes to a transition period, raising awareness, etc. No valid reasons for any further delay exists, especially considering the highly visible negative impact of shopping bags, Styrofoam containers, disposable cups, straws, etc. on the island.
If in any way possible, the occasion of hosting royal family members and in particular the crown princess should be used to present something tangible on the issue like a signed bill with clear implementation date. Without such, whatever attempt to make youngsters conscious of the problem seems rather hollow at this point.
Continuous clean-up efforts by volunteers are no doubt to be applauded and supported, but it’s high time more is done about tackling the polluting source with rules and regulations as well as active enforcement. While that obviously requires the necessary preparation and resources, this matter of great importance to both the people’s wellbeing and the tourism economy that provides their livelihood has dragged on long enough.
