Basseterre, St. Kitts, March 16, 2021 (SKNIS): On March 15, St. Kitts and Nevis joined the rest of the world in observing World Consumer Rights Day, under the theme: “Tackling Plastic Pollution”.
According to Minister of Consumer Affairs, Honourable Wendy Phipps, the theme is geared towards raising awareness and effect positive consumer attitudes and practices insofar as sustainable development is concerned.
She noted that the theme builds on the one from last year, which was “The Sustainable Consumer”, and focuses on the key role of governments, consumer rights groups, civil society, and the private sector in addressing the global plastic pollution crisis.
Minister Phipps said that World Consumer Rights Day gives consumers, business owners, and the Government the opportunity to “place significant emphasis on the need for environmental protection from the harmful effects associated with the improper disposal of the plastic waste we generate on a daily basis.”
“Governments and environmentalists alike are aware of the many benefits of plastic, particularly its usefulness in our daily lives,” she said. “There is ample evidence to support the facts that plastic is cheap and relatively safe to use; that it is easily converted into any conceivable shape; that it is strong and durable; that it has been proven to be a game-changing material in multiple production process since the 1950s; and that its pervasive use has brought countless benefits to industries such as health and wellness, engineering, food and beverage, agriculture, and information and communications technology (ICT). Research also supports the fact that since its introduction into production processes some 70 years ago, over 8.3 billion metric tonnes of the material have been produced.”
The Minister stated that in spite of its many uses, how consumers have mishandled plastic after use, is now cause for concern given its negative impact on the environment and ecosystems.
“So grave is the urgency with which plastic pollution must be tackled in a sustainable manner, that every global citizen has a responsibility to implement measures that address the effective disposal and/or replacement of plastics in production,” she said. “To do otherwise would result in detrimental and irreversible consequences for life on land and in water – given that the problems will transcend human, animal, plant and marine life as we know it – all of which are addressed in Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) #3: Good Health and Well-being; #6: Clean Water and Sanitation; #14: Life Below Water; and #15: Life of Land.”
In a report done in July 2020 by the Basel Convention Centre for the Caribbean and the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB), plastic waste distribution of the Caribbean stood at some 1,380 tonnes, said the Minister.
She said that in an effort to do its part to confront this issue, the Department of Environment on St. Kitts and the Nevis Historical and Conservation Society conducts annual coastal cleanup exercises.
“I would like to take this opportunity to highlight the top three items which were collected in St. Kitts and Nevis for 2019: Plastic pieces – 3066 (713 on Nevis and 2353 on St. Kitts), Plastic bottles – 3626 (2285 on Nevis and 1341 on St. Kitts), and Bottlecaps – 3093 (1841 on Nevis and 1252 on St. Kitts),” she reported.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, March 16, 2021 (SKNIS): In order to highlight World Consumer Rights Day, the Department of Consumer Affairs has planned a Week of Activities, says Minister of Consumer Affairs et al, the Honourable Wendy Phipps, during an address on March 15 in observance of the day.
The Minister highlighted some of the major activities planned. She said that Consumer Awareness Week 2021 kicked off with a church service on March 14 at the Antioch Baptist Church. The week will continue with a business forum entitled “Businesses are Consumers Too” on March 17. On March 18 there will be the Consumer Affairs Primary School Essay and Jungle Competition.
Minister Phipps encouraged the public, wherever possible, to support the various activities for World Consumer Rights Day and also Consumer Awareness Week 2021.
“We remind everyone that we are all consumers of the goods and services produced, marketed, sold, and bought in our Federation,” she said. “As such, consumer protection and consumer rights constitute everybody’s business.”
The minister noted that the department believes that an informed consumer is also an empowered consumer and, as such, the department is serious in its mission and mandate to protect the rights of all consumers.
“We continue to encourage the public to feel free to report any perceived instance of consumer rights’ infringement and, that once reported, such instances will be fully investigated with a view to satisfactory redress,” she said.
World Consumer Rights Day is being celebrated under the theme: “Tackling Plastic Pollution”.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, December 21, 2020 (SKNIS): Banning single-use plastic reduces pollution and the demand for plastic production. As such, the move to ban single-use plastics in St. Kitts and Nevis will be further pursued in 2021.
“In 2021, we will be doing a lot of work in terms of the banning of single-use plastics because plastics are a major concern here in St. Kitts and Nevis and around the world. The huge amount of plastics that we are using they are creating so much pressure on the landfills. They are ending up in our oceans and they are causing problems for marine life that we will in turn consume,” said Minister of Environment and Cooperatives, the Honourable Eric Evelyn, on Friday, December 18, day four of the Budget Debate. “So, I want to give a warning to persons who like to throw their plastics all over the place that eventually you might be eating some of these plastics that are not good for you.
Minister Evelyn said that a public awareness campaign will be carried out in 2021 to continue to educate the general public and keep them updated on the plans.
“We are going to be going on a campaign to eventually ban single-use plastics. It will be a phased-approach and it will be a consultative approach as well,” he said. “Eventually, we will be banning the importation, the sale and distribution, the use and, of course, we will be banning the manufacture of plastic bottles here as well in St. Kitts and Nevis. And so, I want to sound it here and just to have our folks in the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis be aware that we will be trying to ban single-use plastics.”
He noted that a survey was conducted in 2019 and that over 90 percent of persons were in favour of banning single-use plastics. Also, over 60 percent of the respondents were in favour of using alternatives in place of plastics.
Minister Evelyn solicited the support of the general public when the campaign and consultations are rolled out. He noted that banning of single-use plastics yields several benefits and it is a means to change people’s daily habits by eliminating and reducing waste from single-use plastics.
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