Reusable bags should be manufactured

The controversial move by some supermarket chains and other outlets to start charging their customers 20 cents for every plastic bag that they use to pack their groceries and other items starting from the first of May this year would not affect customers as much if there were reusable bags that were made from environmentally friendly, recyclable materials they can bring with them to pack their items in.

 

As such, Managing Director of B’s Recycling, Paul Bynoe is calling on companies – or at least one company – in Barbados to step forward and take the initiative to manufacture these bags, which would help to not only reduce the amount of plastic that we use, but also the import duties that come with importing this plastic material in the first place.

 

“The thing about it is that we export plastic bags or plastic on the whole. I think that it is up to the supermarkets to make up their minds on the way that they want to go either with or without. I think that it is a growing opportunity right now for any young business to launch and make a local bag that the supermarkets or the customers can buy and travel with because I have not seen it.,.(bags) that you can take to the supermarket, take it back home, unpack it and fold it back up.”

 

Addressing the media recently, he said that the bags that we currently have in Barbados that some persons use for this purpose are not that strong and the handles can go out after a couple of uses.

 

“All the recycled bags that you see coming back in after a while, they are going to go and to me, the hands are not as strong as it should be. Okay. Now, I know about bags because I used to deal with them back in the day so I know about a proper bag (and) I have not seen that bag as yet. I hope that somebody would take up the idea and make some proper bags that people can take to the supermarkets...There is an opportunity for that.”

 

Bynoe added that recycling on a whole is a good step to take and he called on the Government to give heed to the Solid Waste Project Unit because this Government Department can point them in the right direction when it comes to the way forward for recycling.

 

“Recycling is still good. Now we have a unit called Solid Waste. It is an arm of Government and they are well versed and they know and understand what must be done and I don’t understand why they don’t use that arm – Solid Waste Unit – more often or listen to them as to what must be done because I know that they don’t. Those people in Solid Waste, they know what can be done or what should be done. They probably just need the opportunity.”