PHILIPSBURG–St. Maarten Nature Foundation is kicking off its “Reduce and Reuse St. Maarten” project by releasing five easy steps businesses and residents can take to reduce their single-use plastic pollution, which has a damaging impact on human and environmental health.
At least nine million tons of plastic enters the world’s oceans each year, a rate that has increased 100 times in the past 40 years. Plastic does not biodegrade and releases harmful chemicals as it breaks down into smaller pieces that are ingested by marine life. Of all marine biodiversity, 96 per cent is vulnerable to plastic pollution each year as they ingest and get tangled in the floating debris.
“Reduce and Reuse St. Maarten” teaches and encourages residents, children and businesses to reduce their plastic waste output and clean-up the environment. Residents can reduce their single-use plastic pollution by following five impactful steps. 1) Say no to plastic straws, bags, cups and disposable cutlery; 2) Carry a reusable shopping bag, water bottle, spork and cup; 3) Use and choose biodegradable alternatives; 4) Buy and ask for unpacked vegetables and fruits; and 5) Lobby businesses to use less plastic.
Various businesses have already taken steps to reduce their single-use plastic output, such as Buccaneer beach bar, The Dinghy Dock, Lagoonies, Simpson Bay Yacht Club, Market Garden café and Karakter beach bar, as well as Divi Little Bay Beach Resort, which went completely straw-free since the resort reopened.
St. Maarten businesses can also help reduce single-use plastic pollution by following these five steps:
1) Only provide straws and bags upon request;
2) Use reusable cups and cutlery;
3) Use biodegradable products such as straws, cups, cutlery, and to-go containers;
4) Advertise your eco-activism, and
5) Lobby other companies to use less plastic.
According to Nature Foundation, St. Maarten is a contributor to this issue as littering and the use of single-use plastics are accepted island-wide, causing trash to wash into the ocean, impacting and affecting the local environment, corals, fish, birds and wildlife.
“Research has shown that St. Maarten has the highest municipal solid waste of the Caribbean at 9.7 kilos per capita per day, compared to Curaçao’s waste generation of 0.44 kilos. The ineffective disposal of waste has caused major problems on St. Maarten as poor waste management, frequent toxic landfill fires, no waste separation and no recycling pose grave concerns regarding public health, air pollution, and water and soil contamination,” the Nature Foundation said Monday.
The Foundation calculated that St. Maarten alone uses more than 1.4 billion plastic straws a year. “Straws are used for a few minutes and last forever in the environment. If current trends continue there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050.”
“St. Maarten is a beautiful island that attracts millions of visitors from all over the world. The Nature Foundation wants to keep it that way. The community’s help in cleaning up and reducing plastic waste will go a long way in ensuring the preservation of the beauty St. Maarten is known for. If residents would like to help the Nature Foundation in the fight against plastic pollution and want to become a Reduce and Reuse Ocean Defender please e-mail: naturefoundationprojects@gmail.com,” Nature Foundation stated.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/78431-nature-foundation-develops-steps-to-reduce-pollution-by-single-use-plastic
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