BY TONY IROGA
The Waste Management and Pollution Control Unit within Environment and Conservation Division of Ministry of Environment has intensified efforts to enforce the nationwide ban on single-use plastics.
This comes with a two-day operation in Honiara which led to the confiscation of large quantities of banned plastic products from businesses across the city.
The enforcement exercise, carried out on Tuesday and Wednesday this week, targeted shops and business premises from the Korona Market area to White River.
During the operation, officers seized numerous rolls of plastic bags.
Speaking to Island Sun on Wednesday this week, the National Project Officer for the Waste Management and Pollution Control Unit, Joash Tuai, said the government’s ban on specific single-use plastics is now fully operational and actively enforced.
“The Solomon Islands nationwide ban on specific single-use plastic products is fully active and actively enforced,” he said.
The operation was conducted by a joint task force officers from the Environment and Conservation Division, Honiara City Council Law Enforcement Unit, Customs officer, Royal Solomon Islands Police Force, Solomon Islands Maritime Authority, and Solomon Islands Ports Authority.
Tuai said only a small number of businesses have been granted permits to use plastic products under strict conditions. These businesses include Meat Lovers, Bulk Shop and Super Power Company.
He explained that the permits, approved by ECD Director Josef Hurutarau, only allow the use of plastic for packaging and weighing goods.
“The plastic is not for selling purposes. It is only permitted for packaging goods and weighing products,” he said.
Under the Single-Use Plastic Ban Regulations, the importation, manufacture, sale and distribution of five categories of plastic products are prohibited.
These include plastic shopping bags, plastic straws, polystyrene foam food containers, cups and plates, plastic cutlery and food containers, and PET plastic drinking bottles smaller than 1.5 litres.
Tuai said enforcement of the regulations is the responsibility of several government agencies, including Environment Office under the Environment Act 1998, Customs Office, the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force, Honiara City Council Enforcement Unit, and the Maritime and Ports authorities.
The Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology (MECDM) officially gazetted the regulations on September 1, 2023. Following a six-month grace period that allowed businesses to clear existing stock, full legal enforcement and penalties came into effect on March 2, 2024.
Tuai said the latest confiscation exercise forms part of the Ministry’s ongoing commitment to protect the environment and promote environmentally friendly alternatives.
“The purpose of confiscating these banned plastics is to create a safe, sustainable and resilient environment for all citizens through proactive policies and initiatives aimed at protecting the environment and supporting the development and use of environmentally friendly goods and services,” he said.
He urges businesses, members of the public and other stakeholders to support the regulations and comply with the law.
“We appeal for the support of the public, the private sector and all stakeholders to implement this regulation,” Tuai said.
He said the continued enforcement operations will be carried out to ensure compliance with the plastic ban and to reduce plastic pollution across the country.
Photo: Supplied
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