#CSIMonth: No more plastics in the Seychelles
Forming part of its many conservation efforts, the cabinet of Seychelles in September last year announced that it will join the likes of Rwanda, Bangladesh and Madagascar in implementing a ban on the use and importation of items such plastic bags, cups, cutlery and Styrofoam packaging in an effort to cut down on waste in the Seychelles.
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A recently conducted provisional study found that plastic waste makes up nearly 30% of all waste of Seychelles’ landfills. Additionally, the Seychelles government reports it is spending hundreds of millions of rupees on solid waste management for de-littering rivers and marshes from all types of waste including plastics.
The idea of going ‘plastics free’ in the Seychelles was initially started in 2015 by the SIDS Youth Aims Hub (SYAH) which aimed to encourage the archipelago’s population of around 93,000 people to opt for reusable bags.
In a separate campaign, Sustainability for Seychelles (S4S) also lobbied against the use of polystyrene takeaway boxes. S4S, as part of its public awareness campaign, introduced biodegradable boxes made of sugarcane fibre for takeaways and other food outlets.
Creativity and opportunity
While it may sound almost impossible to imagine daily life without the use of some of these products, the Seychelles has been quick to come up with creative solutions with some even finding opportunity in the decision.
The Seychelles Trading Company (STC), one of the country’s largest trading companies, was quick to address and welcome the initiative. Since June last year, STC began to introduce biodegradable carrier bags for customers shopping at the STC Supermarkets and Hypermarket.
Meanwhile, Roline Trading was quoted by the Seychelles News Agency (SNA) as saying that the company will look into the use of paper bags. The company also noted however that importing their own bags is expensive.
Another businessperson told SNA that the ban has created the potential for new business ventures. After doing some research, this businessman started importing biodegradable takeaway boxes, cutlery, cake boxes and paper bags.
There is, however, a cost implication to both residents and visitors to the Seychelles associated with the elimination of plastic consumables. Retail outlets have said that they now sell bags separately whereas others have added the cost directly to the product they are selling.
But, regardless of any additional costs, most residents and even visitors have agreed that it is a small price to pay in conserving the island destination.
