Marine life still being affected by plastic bags despite ban

One of Jamaica’s marine parks is concerned that not enough is being done to monitor and enforce the ban on single use plastic bags.

Hugh Shim, Manager of the Montego Bay Marine Park, says despite the imposition of the ban last year, sea creatures are still being affected by plastic bags.

He told RJR News that transparent plastic bags are the main threat especially because they are difficult to spot in the water.

He noted that they are being eaten by turtles that mistake them for jellyfish.

Mr. Shim said while larger establishments have mostly conformed to the plastic ban, small business owners are still failing to comply.

He said he is also in support of the ban on Styrofoam food containers, pointing out that they can cause damage to marine life when they are burned and those chemicals are released and washed into the ocean.

Environmental impact study

In the meantime, Government Senator Matthew Samuda has proposed that an environmental impact assessment study be done to determine the effectiveness of the ban on certain categories of single-use plastics.

Mr. Samuda said the study would determine how much plastic has been removed from the island’s waste stream since the ban took effect last January and ascertain whether further revision to the policy is needed.

A ban was placed on certain categories of single-use plastics in January last year.

http://radiojamaicanewsonline.com/local/marine-life-still-being-affected-by-plastic-bags-despite-ban – Taken from RJR Communications Group.