Bermuda Government to phase out single-use plastics

The Bermuda government says it intends to draft legislation soon aimed at phasing out single-use plastics.

Home Affairs Minister Walter Roban, addressing the fourth annual Youth Climate Summit, said that a draft version of the Bill would be available for public consultation before being passed into law. Roban, saying that he is “passionate about using the resources at my disposal to protect our environment while encouraging the growth and development of green initiatives,” told the young people that as Bermuda’s future leaders, they must be knowledgeable and have a say in the island’s future direction.

Legislative plans to ban single-use plastics were announced in the 2018 Throne Speech, with the goal of eliminating them by 2022. Roban said the Bill focused on the environment and human health, with a realistic phase-out timeline at the top of the list. He said allowances would be made for medical items or cases where single-use plastics came with no alternatives.