The Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica has announced it will provide sustainable bags for all households bags to reduce plastic waste.
The move is part of the government’s Go Green Dominica initiative to make the island plastic-free.
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As part of the initiative, the government has started providing households with bags made from jute and cotton.
The bags have a printed slogan that reads: “Help Dominica go plastic bag-free by reusing these bags again and again.” It also includes a leaflet from the government that says: “Thank you for helping to preserve our nature island and protect the environment.”
The Dominican Government said: “Jute is a strong, natural fibre, sustainable and environmentally friendly. 100% bio-degradable, you will be able to reuse this shopping bag for many years to come.
“The bags are fully compliant with the Ethical Trading Initiative Base Code (ETI), which is a worldwide standard for ethical production.”
The initiative has received a positive reaction from citizens who adopt eco-friendly habits such as shopping with baskets and boxes, using refillable packaging and avoiding the use of plastic straws and containers.
In August 2018, the Dominican Government announced plans to ban all single-use plastic and Styrofoam containers from 2019.
In addition, Dominica encourages the use of biodegradable packaging and reusable shopping bags by imposing a 0% import tax on these materials.
Following the category-5 Hurricane Maria in 2017, Dominica has undertaken various sustainable rebuilding processes, including the introduction of plastic ban, building a geothermal energy plant and creating an ecotourism sector.
Dominica also received huge support from the international community and investors.
