TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Plastic ban enforcement date still not set

Stupid ban accomplish absolutely nothing! You now pack your groceries- all individually wrapped in plastic- into the paper bag made out of trees…

IMHO, the wrappers don't [ most times] end up washing up on the shore fronts. For years now, we have always brought our own shopping bags, we always leave at least one in the car at all times. To see the wildlife all caught up in those can holders and plastic bags is heartbreaking!!

Wow, most short-sighted comment of the day.

I pick up floating grocery bags and styro containers in my dinghy almost every single day. Keeping this stuff out of the oceans is a worthy goal.

I agree with keeping trash out of the oceans and everywhere else as far as that is concerned but how about some proper disposal of the items? I have seen locals and tourists alike walk away from trash, bottles, etc. Proper disposal is not that big of an effort but one many choose not to put forth.

Not sure I understand exactly what this is, but 'something' is starting today.

Link to Daily Herald story

It goes without saying that people can be pigs. I have wondered what I can do as a foreigner living here to start changing people's attitudes about caring for their home.

Restaurants can start by using cardboard for "take away" boxes!! I've always hated Styrofoam!! On a side note, you can't reheat in those without it melting of some sorts!! And as one poster said, people are pigs slobs IMHO. That must be how they live at home!!! I love my morning brisk walk on Simpson bay beach. It pains me to see this plastic wash up. I bag what I can!

Sadly, I think some of it is a way of life and will be tough to change.

Several years ago, we went to Anguilla (which is much less populated and probably more pristine than SXM) for the day and took our local SXM island friend. He would usually rent a car (he is a taxi driver on SXM) and drive us be we opted for a taxi while on Anguilla. He knew the female driver and we had barely left the ferry terminal before she unwrapped a candy bar and the wrapper went right out the window, followed by an empty beverage can. Pretty sad.

The shortsighted person can’t see that the problem isn’t in the use of single use plastic but rather in people who have no regards for nature… throwing trash around is a problem. Those people are pigs! And it doesn’t matter if they throw their trash into the ocean or into the bush.

You got it!

You can't fix stupid.

And as Will Rogers once said: "You can’t legislate intelligence and common sense into people."

Carlin on plastic bags…


https://youtube.com/watch?v=IQtnliwKiUI&feature=share

In a windy place like this, it all ends up in the ocean eventually. And if you make stuff out of paper, whether it gets into the bush or the ocean, it will break down pretty quickly, unlike plastics that hang around for a long time.