In a report published by Forbes magazine yesterday, Trinidad and Tobago has been named as being the biggest culprit when it comes to the production of plastic waste per capita.
“T&T produces a whopping 3.6 kilograms of plastic waste per capita per day—the largest in the world—and almost six times more than Kuwait, which is in distant second place,” the report says.
Despite efforts by the authorities to reduce the problem, plastic pollution has seemingly worsened in recent times and at the center of the crisis, inadequate waste management.
While 150 countries currently engage in a global climate strike, a 2015 study suggests that the Caribbean region has been dealing deadly blows to the environment as ten out of the top 30 global polluters originate from the Caribbean.
“Trinidad & Tobago, Antigua & Barbuda, St Kitts & Nevis, Guyana, Barbados, St Lucia, Bahamas, Grenada, Anguilla and Aruba; and every year, these ten island nations generate more plastic debris than the weight of 20,000 space shuttles,” the report says.
Founder of the Green Circle Environmental company, environmentalist Kerry-kim Kirton says the findings are not surprising.
“It’s very unfortunate we are ranked number one in such a category, but we see it every day when rain falls the amount of plastic bottles and plastic products turning up in the drains, I think it’s a lack of proper disposals by individuals in the country.”
He said: “I think that next year when they do the poll again we will be ranked very highly again and therefore people need to take it upon themselves to make a change in terms of the way the use and dispose of plastics as well as explore alternatives.”
Meanwhile, Public Utilities Minister Robert Le Hunte acknowledged the threats plastic pollution posed, however, he said key to combating the regional problem was making policy changes to the manufacturing industry.
“Yes we do have an issues here, not only with plastics but biodegradable items, as it relates to Styrofoam, we did take some degree of action. We do manufacture some of the Styrofoam here and there were certain bans placed, we as a country have manufacturers and we have to work with them to transition from their present production to move away to more biodegradable products,” he said.
Almost all plastics are made from chemicals that come from the production of planet-warming fuels.
Reliance on plastic, therefore, prolongs our demand for these dirty fuels.