Bonaire, along with its sister islands in the Dutch Caribbean–Saba and St. Eustatius–have collectively agreed to ban the use of single-use plastics.
Together with State Secretary Stientje van Veldhoven (Infrastructure and Water Management), an agreement was signed by all three islands’ local governments to place a ban on single-use plastics. The intention is, with assistance from the central government, to quickly put an end to the use of these wasteful plastics in the Caribbean Netherlands. The goal is to have the ban in place no later than 2021. This is an important step to keep the islands clean, to prevent plastic soup, and help with protecting the nature on and around these Caribbean Netherlands islands.
An agreement is executed by all three islands’ Executive Councils to ban the use of single-use plastics.
After completing signings on Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and Saba, State Secretary van Veldhoven said,
“The picture of a turtle with a straw in its nose is a notorious example of what discarded plastic can do. These turtles are swimming here, in the Caribbean Sea. This step that we take now is also good for the climate; throwing away plastic after a single use and then burning it is simply a deadly sin.” – State Secretary van Veldhoven
(Editor’s note: Bonaire recently had its own experience with the dangers of plastics in the ocean when a nesting sea turtle was wrapped in fishing line and unable to swim to the surface to breathe.)
For Bonaire, the livability of the island and the protection of the environmental is the major motivation to end single-use plastics on the island. The coral reef around Bonaire is well known for its beauty, and it continues to be of major importance for the economy. On Bonaire alone, approximately 500,000 dives take place annually.
Collaboration between the BES Islands to eliminate single-use plastics as quickly as possible.
The three islands will, within one year, draw up a plan of action to eliminate single-use plastics, with the goal of having the ban take effect in 2021.The Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management will contribute financially and provide legal expertise, assisting with their experience from the European Netherlands in drafting the necessary regulations to ban single-use plastic in the Caribbean Netherlands.
(Source: Rijskdienst CN)
