Plastic Free Cayman to host a panel discussion on plastic pollution
Bella Rooney of Plastic Free Cayman shared a startling statistic today that 75,112 pounds of garbage, including plastic, has been collected by Plastic Free Cayman since September 2018. To raise awareness of this and discuss the efforts to implement a single-use plastics ban to help curb the problem, the group is hosting a panel discussion on “Plastic Pollution Solutions” this Saturday, May 27, from 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm at Island House in Savannah.
The panel discussion is also taking place one year after “The Grand Swim” by Oly Rush, who completed a non-stop swim around Grand Cayman to help raise funds for Plastic Free Cayman and to increase awareness of the plastic pollution problem in the Cayman Islands.
Notwithstanding Oly’s efforts and the hard work of the young leaders of Plastic Free Cayman, Protect Our Future, CayOcean, and other youth-operated groups, the Government has still not passed legislation to ban single-use plastics.
It is understood that, given Cayman’s lack of legislation in this area, this puts Cayman behind Jamaica, which is said to have previously implemented a plastic ban and is expected to discuss a further expansion of this ban in Jamaica this year.
It is hoped that through the panel discussion this weekend, a broader cross-section of the Cayman population will understand why plastic pollution is a problem in Cayman, particularly how it poses risks to the environment, including marine life.
It is also hoped that the discussion will get the attention of the Government because the issue can impact tourism if tourists visit sites where Plastic Free Cayman and other youth groups have discovered plastics that have either washed up on Cayman’s shores or otherwise dumped or left on beaches.
Discarded welcome mats, plastic and other items have been found by volunteer divers in George Town on a previous clean up
Members of the public who wish to learn more about this issue are encouraged to attend the panel discussion this Saturday and may RSVP (for free) at [email protected].
Island House location
