Most will bring their own grocery store bags

By: Alan Markoff | alan@cfp.ky

Caymanian Compass

More the 71 per cent of the 482 respondents to last week’s caycompass.com online poll said they will take their own shopping bags when grocery stores start charging for plastic bags. Cayman’s major supermarkets started charging five cents per bag on Wednesday.

In total, 343 people - 71.2 per cent - said they would take their own bags to the store instead of paying the five cents.

“Of course, there will be the inevitable times I forget, so I’ll probably end up buying about 50 of the reusable ones - or just not use a bag, depending on what it is,” said one person. Read the full story here.

Plastic bag charge starts today

9 June 2010
The Caymanian Compass

Starting today, supermarkets will be implementing a new 5 cent charge for plastic bags as part of the Cayman BECOME campaign to encourage the Cayman Islands public to bring their own reusable bags when they shop.

To prepare for the big day, cashiers and baggers have received training from the Cayman BECOME education and training committee.

“We are aiming to adapt the interaction between cashier and customer for when the charge is introduced,” said Senior Sustainable Development Officer at the Department of Environment Joni Kirkconnell, one of the trainers.

She said cashiers are now being urged to ask customers directly if they have their own bags with them and if not they will ask whether the customer needs a bag and wishes to purchase a reusable bag, or purchase plastic bags. “This should not only make people think about bringing their own bags in the future, but it will also make cashiers more aware of how many plastic bags they are providing, and customers more aware of how many plastic bags they are using,” said Ms Kirkconnell. Read the whole story here.

Cayman’s got a brand new bag

What's Hot
TOPIC: Community
By: Basia Pioro-McGuire

Cayman BECOME is a new campaign promoting the use of reusable shopping bags instead of plastic, encouraging members of the community to take their own reusable bags when they shop.

Starting on 9 June, the initiative kicks into high gear with the introduction of a five cent charge for plastic bags at the Island’s supermarkets.

The programme is the result of much hard work by the Corporate Green Team Network, whose members include Cayman Eco, Deloitte Cayman, the Department of Environment, the Department of Tourism, dms, Island Heritage, Island Supply, KPMG, LIME, Maples Finance, Ogier, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Rawlinson & Hunter.

“Sustainability is important for our community,” explains Department of Environment Sustainable Development Officer Sophie Halford.

Read the full story...

Cayman BECOME hands out free reusuable bags

Join us on Saturday, June 12th between 10am-12 noon at Kirk Supermarket, Hurley's, and all Fosters stores to get a free reusable grocery bag from the Cayman BECOME campaign. Starting on June 9th, all of the stores will begin charging 5 cents for every plastic bag used. Each of the stores sell their own reusable bags in addition to the limited supply of Cayman BECOME bags that will be available on June 12th. For more information on Cayman BECOME, visit their website.

Cruise ship industry needs better waste-control standards

Cruise ship companies needs to take responsibility for the waste it produces
(Credit: Ivan Lian via Flickr).

June 3, 2010
By David Suzuki with Faisal Moola

Imagine walking down the street just as the crew of an airplane flying overhead decides to dump sewage from the plane's toilets. Not a pleasant thought. Fortunately, airlines aren't allowed to do this.

But cruise ships do it all the time — and not just with sewage, but with food waste, oily bilge water, and solid waste as well. As an article on the nonprofit news website DC Bureau notes, cruise ship companies that rely on "pristine oceans, beautiful coral reefs and marine life" and "that advertise excursions to untouched ocean scenery are threatening these very same natural resources with their standard practice of flushing harmful toxins, mostly as sewage and food waste, into the ocean."

Although some cruise ship companies have made improvements in waste-water treatment, the industry still has a long way to go. And even though sewage is subject to some regulations, food-waste dumping is not regulated. Considering that a cruise ship can serve from 10,000 to 25,000 meals a day, that's a lot of leftover scraps and waste that are ground up and dumped into often-fragile ocean ecosystems. This waste becomes acidic as it decomposes, increasing nutrients that starve the ocean of oxygen and contribute to the creation of dead zones. Read more...

World Environment Day: June 5th

Come out and help the Cayman Islands Department Of Environment (DoE) celebrate this year’s World Environment Day on June 5th at 8:00am by joining their tree planting event at following venues: Success Circle Park (Palm Dale Dr.), Harry Mckoy Park (Bodden Town), Cumber Park (Bodden Town) and Al Al park (West Bay). Volunteers are asked to bring their own shovels and gloves and DoE will supply the trees and refreshments.

Contact Leah Grant at the Department of Environment if you are interested in volunteering or for more information at Leah.Grant@gov.ky, (tel) 949-8469.