Haiti - Environment : Styrofoam biodegradable products, from 1 October 2012
At the last Council of Government, the Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe announced that the government, after several consultations with importers, had made arrangements for that from 1 October 2012, only plates (among others) in biodegradable styrofoam, will be allowed to import, noting that Customs would take all necessary measures to enforce the decision.
"[...] on 1 October, the Ministry of the Environment, following a presidential decree banned the importation of plate [among others] in styrofoam and plastic black [...] after several consultations with importers of these products, we arrived at a solution where they agreed to order products in biodegradable styrofoam.
This means that after 30 days in contact with water, these products in biodegradable styrofoam, will disappear and will no longer float over the water, as I have seen it, when we go to La Gonâve, where a real slick of plates and styrofoam cups had invaded our sea and coastline too... This pollution that has a lifespan of 400 years, has overflowed Haiti and carried by ocean currents, these products can be found in Jamaica and up to Colombia... Even in Colombia, these products will continue their travel..."
