Plastic bags are killing our marine environment

By: Michael Klein | mklein@cfp.ky
The Journal

All of Cayman’s supermarkets have agreed to discontinue the use of non-biodegradable plastic bags from June and will encourage shoppers to bring reusable bags, reports business journalist Michael Klein.

As the most widely used consumer item, plastic bags have become a huge burden on the environment worldwide. In Cayman, where “Mount Trashmore” has been steadily growing without any recognisable strategy to reduce or eliminate solid waste, non-biodegradable plastic bags have noticeably contributed to an increasing garbage problem.

“The facts and figures speak for themselves in that we are all playing our part in killing our natural environment,” says Woody Foster, managing director of Fosters Food Fair IGA.

“No one really thinks about the few bags that are in their possession when they go shopping, but when you add them all up over the year, over 12 million bags goes a long way in killing the environment that we love so much.”

For this reason, all of Cayman’s supermarkets, including Fosters, Kirk and Hurley’s, have agreed in a concerted effort to discontinue the use of non-biodegradable plastic bags. The move will see the introduction of a fee of 5 cents for each of the biodegradable bags that will replace them. At the same time supermarkets will encourage customers to bring their own reusable bags...read full story.