Date for banning the use of Styrofoam extended

May 29, 2014 News

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The June 2014 deadline for restricting the importation of Styrofoam containers in Guyana has been shifted to a date to be announced later. The restriction may not be challenging since local companies have welcomed the move and indicated their willingness to comply with the ban.
This was revealed by a senior official in the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment during a recent interview with this publication.
According to the official, In Guyana, Styrofoam constitutes about 2 percent of the waste stream and is widely used in the food industry.  The improper disposal of this mostly single used item has threatened public health, safety and welfare, urban aesthetics and resulted in death or illness to marine life.
“The environmental cost to clean-up Styrofoam waste is borne by taxpayers to the tune of millions of dollars since it is not included in its purchase price. This has rendered Styrofoam as one of the cheapest and most available food service containers. Styrofoam food packaging popularity is so popular that businesses seldom stock alternatives as they are not specifically mandated to either through legislations or policies,” he said.
As such, the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment has embarked on an initiative that will see a significant reduction in the littering of Styrofoam products, resulting in further development of new enterprises since bio-degradable containers will be utilized.
The official noted that the Ministry had submitted to Cabinet for consideration a memorandum titled ‘Restriction on Styrofoam Products’.  This document recognized the ubiquitous nature of Styrofoam containers and its negative impact on the environment, and outlined two measures to be instituted on Styrofoam products with an eventual ban in two years.
Cabinet, at a meeting held on June 25, 2013 approved the proposed actions leading to the restriction on the use of Styrofoam products being implemented. These are: the imposition of stamp duty and environmental tax charges to Styrofoam which is a non-reusable, non-returnable commodity for one year; and the availability of incentives to the Private Sector for the importation of biodegradable alternatives.
According to the official, the first national stakeholder consultation on the importation ban on Styrofoam was held on November 18, 2013 at Duke Lodge. It is the intention of the Ministry to schedule a second consultation with both government and private stakeholders including the Ministry of Tourism, Industry, and Commerce, and the Georgetown Chamber of Industry and Commerce.
The second consultation is intended to further apprise stakeholders of the need for the impending ban on Styrofoam; to inform on the interim actions to be imposed on the importation of Styrofoam containers; and to garner stakeholder’s concerns on the type of incentives to transition towards biodegradable containers.
It was noted that local companies through the Private Sector Commission have raised several reasons to support the ban. They pointed out that Guyana does not produce Styrofoam products. There is no recycling Styrofoam recycling plant to close once the ban is in place; and the food service industry will not be badly affected even though many already use Styrofoam.
The official said whilst a new date for the deadline is being set, the Ministry is working with the Environmental Protection Agency to set standards for the chemical composition of imported biodegradable products.
The Litter Regulations have recently been tabled and enacted by Parliament, after which the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment through the Environmental Protection Agency has been working assiduously on the implementation plan of these regulations and more recently the hiring of 12 Litter Wardens.
Although the Litter Regulations do not capture any penalties for the usages of Styrofoam, it focuses on the improper disposal of waste that affects the environment and Guyana as a whole. However, with the establishment of the new Enforcement and Compliance Division at the Environmental Protection Agency, it is envisioned that the Regulations which are now being drafted will capture penalties and fines for the use of Styrofoam.
Styrofoam is also known as polystyrene, a synthetic material consisting of large molecules called polymers, derived from petrochemical.  Styrofoam is not considered hazardous waste, however, its ubiquity and impact on the environment can be detrimental as experts agree that Styrofoam will never decompose.  Added to that, Styrofoam is generally not recycled as the polystyrene resin contaminates the recycling process.

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