NO MORE PLASTICS AS SEYCHELLES CABINET APPROVES NEW ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION MEASURES
(Posted 24th September 2016)
Information has emerged from Victoria, the Seychelles’ capital, that the cabinet earlier in the week approved a ban on the importation of plastic bags, plastic cutlery, plastic lunch boxes, plates, cups and similar items, effective January 2017. A complete ban on the use of such items will then come into effect by middle of next year, giving businesses dealing in such items enough time to clear stocks by either selling or else permanently disposing of remaining items.
This decision is seen as a major additional commitment to environmental protection, following advice from experts who in recent months have increasingly highlighted the plight of the world oceans being overpowered by plastic waste.
With the Seychelles being a primary promoter of the blue and green economies was it then only a matter of time before the archipelago’s government acted to play their part in protecting environment on land and at sea from further pollution.
More than 50 percent of the Seychelles’ land mass is already under varying degrees of protection, from national parks to privately owned nature or bird reserves, the highest percentage of any nation across the globe.
The very popular lunch boxes currently used will be replaced with biodegradable types, as reported some time ago here, as will probably cutlery and plates too, providing an environmentally much more friendly solution.
Seychelles’ tourism industry depends on a pristine territorial and marine environment to continue attracting tourists who come to the archipelago because of the great care taken to protect these resources and this latest measure will only add to the appeal the islands have for vacationers from around the world to come and see that ‘Seychelles truly is another world‘.
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