The Government of St Vincent and the Grenadines is contemplating a ban on Styrofoam products. This according to Government Senator Julian Francis, Minister of Transport, Works, Urban Development and Local Government, speaking on WE-FM’s Shake-Up program last week.
The recent surface trough weather system revealed how much product disposal caused unnecessary flooding and an abundance of cleaning.
Francis said that as a people, Vincentians are not careful in the manner in which they discard things, and that the Minister said, “is putting it mildly.”
The Minister of Urban Development said, “We have a small land mass and the water ways are very narrow.
Francis said there are challenges but we have to do better individually.
The solid waste management unit over the last five years has been calling on Vincentian to desist from the disposal of garbage which it says Styrofoam makes up a large percent.
Proponents of the environment here say that nothing will change unless the law gains its full weight. At preset there is a charge of 5000 dollars for the dumping of garbage in restricted areas. However, no one has ever been charged and the illegal dumping continues unabated.
Francis said that it will take some time before the ban comes into effect, since the necessary work will have to be done to make it legal.
