Lobby for enforcement of beverage container laws

Jun 09, 2023

Every day is World Environment Day, not just June 5. We need immediate action.

While the largest plastic polluters are green-washing the plastic addiction by sponsoring a few green recycling "bins", we ask how many plastic bottles are being collected if there is no meaningful refund. They are marketing the recycling of a fraction of one per cent of their deadly BPA plastics and shamelessly applauding themselves.

While we face increased cancer risks from microplastics which are in our fish and our food chain, they are celebrating their balance sheets. Once microplastics get into our bodies, we do not have mechanisms to remove it and the risk of cancer increases.

Microplastics are not just in the Caribbean, they are worldwide. Everyone is eating fish, and the world production of plastic is doubling every three years while our leaders do nothing and say less.

We must fight and lobby by every means for:

1. The blacklisting and boycott of all beverage companies that produce these cancer-causing plastic bottles which are not BPA free. BPA is the chemical compo­nent in the plastic that leeches into our food or water, whether it is hot or cold. BPA plastic is a known carcinogen, yet they are producing and giving our beloved children soft drinks and water in BPA plastic.

All of these things are causing a real impact, real cancer and degenerative diseases. While we suffer and die, they pollute and profit. We must boycott these companies until they produce reusable packaging that is BPA free, and until there are refundable, legislated recycling programmes to ensure that we avert this ecocide.

2. Beverage container recycling legislation—you never see a discarded Carib because of its monetary value (30 cents per bottle). To simply charge ten cents on plastic bottle will help to stem the colossal waste and poisoning while giving birth to an entire recycling sector, with hundreds of jobs.

3. The United Nations encou­rages beverage container bills and the enforcement and the passing of the legislation worldwide.

4. The World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) to withhold all loans, on the condition that there are beverage container recycling bills in place that are passed, institutionalised and functioning before any additional loans are given to any nation.

5. The United Nations encou­rages, funds and supports civil society groups, as well as researchers, to produce more reports on the impact of microplastics on human health.

6. Support, encourage and get civil society to join with universi­ties and centres of learning to have microplastic conferences. Universities and centres of learning have a critical role to play and they must be woken up.

7. Buy a metal bottle or glass bottle and put your water in it. Send your child filtered tap water rather than a BPA plastic bottle.

We must unify as a global family. We cannot depend on profiteers or politicians. It's up to us, today and every day.

Gary Aboud

Corporate secretary,

Fishermen and Friends

of the Sea (FFOS)

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