This is Why Enforcing the Plastic Ban in Belize Remains a Challenge

It should come as no surprise that plastic pollution is a major issue in Belize. After all, it’s a problem globally. It does not mean the trend continues worsening in Belize, according to Chief Environmental Officer Anthony Mai.

“Plastic is in every single aspect of life. They even put plastics in the clothes that you wear,” he added.

Since implementing the Environmental Protection Pollution from Plastics Regulation in 2020 and then amending it in 2022, “there’s been a significant change,” Mai said. “Now, I’m not saying that the process is 100% perfect.”

The transition phase has come with its fair share of challenges and a handful of stakeholders affected. Enforcing the law, Mai says, has proven far more difficult than passing it.

Illegal imports, costly testing, and pressure from small businesses feeling the pinch of the ban are some of the challenges the Department of Environment has seen since the initiative started.

Mai said a 2023 conformity assessment exposed major compliance gaps. 90 samples from about 35 different companies, importers and manufacturers were sent to a certified laboratory. He said the majority did not meet the 50% or more bio-based content requirement.

Despite objections from importers, the products were deregistered.

Another major hurdle, according to Mai, is border control. “We have confiscated, charged and destroyed a significant amount of plastics that we have identified through monitoring at the northern and border points,” he said.

Small businesses have also raised concerns, with many of them already tied down to products not meeting the requirement. “The intention of the Department of Environment was to regulate and prohibit a large amount of items… It was made very clear that if we do that, we could seriously impact the productive sector of Belize,” Mai said.

“We had to strike a balance between environmental protection and ensuring that this initiative does not negatively impact these small-scale businesses,” he added.

“The decisions that we make, while they’re environmentally focused, we can’t make it in isolation of what’s going on within the country. We have to ensure that all the key stakeholders are around the table so that we try to create a balance between meeting the objectives of our initiative and ensuring that we’re not negatively impacting and disrupting the livelihoods and the development of the country.”