It is already one year ago of the introduction of the single-use plastic ban in Aruba. This law (Landsverordening verbod voor het milieu schadelijke producten – AB 2019no.67) went into effect after the parliament’s approval in November 2019. This law addresses single-use plastics as well as oxybenzone-containing products like sunblocks and sunscreens.
Why is this an important law?
Plastic is found everywhere in the environment. It led to the global urge to reduce the use of plastics and ban single-use plastic products. Plastic is a man-made material that does not disintegrate completely. It breaks into smaller pieces and remains in the environment, water, and also our food supply. Plastic does not only harm our nature and ecosystem. Fish eat these plastic fragments and humans eat the fish that includes the microplastics consumed by the fish. Implementation of the ban on the import of single-use plastics reduces the number of articles used one time and disposed of with the mentioned consequences for our nature and environment. The community and businesses are now using biodegradable products as a replacement for the traditional single-use plastics products.
What else can we do?
In addition to what is already being done, we should seek other options to help protect the environment. It may include declining products that are disposed of immediately and that can not be reused.
These include:
- Say no to plastic straws and instead get metal straws;
- Bring your mug when purchasing coffee, and decline cardboard cups;
- If ordering take-outs decline plastic cutlery like plastic spoons, forks, and knives;
- Stop purchasing bottled water, instead invest in a reusable water bottle and fill this with tab water:
- Buy meal containers instead of using plastic or foam boxes, paper bags, or aluminum paper;
- Limit the purchase of sodas or drinks in plastic bottles or cans. Besides being good to the environment, this is healthy as well.
These are just some easy-to-follow tips that can have a positive impact on our nature and environment.
