Ports is pleased to support the Bahamas Green Bag initiative with the Ministry of Environment and Housing. Plastic has become the most common material since the beginning of the 20th century and modern life is unthinkable without it. Unfortunately, what makes it so useful, such as its durability, light weight and low cost, also makes it problematic when it comes to its end of life phase due to its non-biodegradable nature.
Plastic bags now constitute the one of the biggest challenges to waste management in the country. Plastic bags and climate change are linked in a variety of ways. From air quality to ocean toxicity, plastic bags contribute to eco-system disruption. Even worse, plastic is poisonous. Some of its ingredients such as biosphenol-A and Phthalates have been proved to cause cancer, birth defects, impaired immunity, endocrine disruption and other ailments. Additionally, plastic threatens wildlife and is a pollutant of groundwater. Cases of groundwater pollution due to landfills have been reported worldwide.
The plastic bags get used once before being thrown away, you see them in the trees, in the hedges and on the ground. And when they settle on the ground, they collect small pools of stagnant water, in which mosquitos breed.
Ports is highlighting its corporate responsibility by providing sponsorship for the green bags and reducing plastic bag use and litter in the Bahamas.