Calls Grow to Phase Out Plastic Water Pouches

Momentum is growing behind a proposed ban on Belize’s twenty-five-cent water pouches. More than forty organizations are calling for a phased three-year ban, saying the single-use plastics are clogging streets, rivers, and highways. Sustainable Development Minister Orlando Habet says the concern is valid. He points to national cleanup data showing water pouches among the most collected waste items. While affordable alternatives remain a challenge, Habet says government is looking at biodegradable options and regional support to make the shift possible.

 

Orlando Habet, Minister of Sustainable Development

“We have looked at the issue of single-use plastics plus regulations for us to start using more biodegradable products. It hasn’t worked as well as we thought. What has happened and part of the problem is the availability of the biodegradable products. Perhaps we went a little bit ahead of our time saying we have to have these standards of fifty-two percent or more biodegradability,” which means to say that product has to degrade naturally within a year, and we didn’t look at the source for where that would come. Another thing is that we do a lot of our imports from North America and and Central America, and we’ll have to also have collaboration with our partners in the region to see if they are also doing the same. Because if the other countries aren’t doing the same, then there’s no requirement for their industries to produce the biodegradable products, and it makes it scarce to produce. We would have to then venture into seeing how we could do our own right, but then it becomes expensive unless we can find a market that would be local and one that would be for export. For example, we could use bagasse to make these plates. We could use maybe planting suckers and dry them up and do these things. And there are other, maybe bamboo pulp and then doing into that, but it will be an industry that has to be developed.”

 

Habet acknowledged that many Belizeans rely on the pouches due to their low cost additionally noting the importance of finding affordable alternatives before moving forward as banning them would affect small entrepreneurs.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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