IN an effort to reduce the high price tagged on alternatives to Styrofoam products, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed a reduction of the import tax, according to Environmental Officer Aretha Forde.In a one-on-one interview with Guyana Chronicle, Forde explained that when the expanded polystyrene ban was proposed, the EPA, in consultation with the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, had proposed that a tax incentive be granted.

This decision, however, will have to be made at the level of the Cabinet, with major input from Minister of Governance, Raphael Trotman — who has responsibility for Natural Resources and the Environment, and Finance Minister Winston Jordan, who oversees the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA).

“There is no guarantee that there will be any tax reduction or any sort of incentive, but that is what we strongly encouraged,” Ms Forde posited.

Operators within the food industry, though in support of the ban on Styrofoam, have been calling on the government to implement measures that would reduce the cost of the alternatives, currently considered to be very expensive.

THREE-MONTH GRACE PERIOD
The ban on the importation of expanded polystyrene food products — which include food containers, plates, hot and cold beverage cups, egg cartons, and meat and vegetable trays — took effect from January 1, 2016, but the government has given importers and food operators a three-month grace period to utilize the stocks they currently have and to dispose of those that have already been shipped to Guyana before the ban takes full effect.

OPTIONS
“GRA officials have suggested to us that (importers) can export the products to other countries that don’t have a Styrofoam ban, or they could dispose of (them) and claim losses to the authority,” Forde said, as she explained some of the options that can be considered when the ban takes full effect.

The Environmental Protection (Expanded Polystyrene Ban) Regulations prohibit the importation, manufacture and sale of expanded polystyrene products in Guyana. Additionally, these regulations prohibit the sale, use, or provision of expanded polystyrene containers by food service establishments.

In this regard, the use of biodegradable, recyclable, and other environmentally-friendly containers or packaging for food products is being encouraged in lieu of expanded polystyrene products.

The environmental protection officer explained that any person or entity found to be in contravention of these regulations will, upon summary conviction, be liable to a fine of not less than $50,000. Similarly, any food service establishment found to be in contravention of these regulations will be issued with a written warning prohibiting the said establishment from selling or providing food for consumption in expanded polystyrene food service products. Failure to comply could result in defaulters being subject to a fine of not less than $100,000.

However, it was explained that, notwithstanding the provisions outlined in these regulations, if the subject minister considers the importation, manufacture, sale, or offer for sale of any goods or any class of goods prohibited to be in the public interest, the subject minister may authorize the importation, manufacture or sale of the goods.

In alluding to the damaging effects Styrofoam has on the environment, the environmental protection officer said it appears to last forever. She explained that polystyrene products are resistant to photolysis, or the breaking down of materials by photons originating from a light source.

She said polystyrene’s inability to break down quickly poses a serious problem for landfill sites. “Because the waste management systems are not as ideal as they could be…persons tend to burn Styrofoam and plastic together, and that is hazardous not only to them, but to persons in the immediate environment, because those particulates are going to get into the air and affect the air quality; and the ash is not something you could just dispose of or bury, because again you risk leaking chemicals into the water table,” she explained.

STYRENE
It was also pointed out that, like plastic, Styrofoam is made from styrene, the foundational ingredient used to make polystyrene. It has been established by the International Agency for Research on Cancer that styrene is a possible human carcinogen.

Persons who are regularly exposed to styrene often develop acute health effects, such as irritation of the skin, irritation of the eyes, irritation of the upper respiratory tract, and gastrointestinal effects, among other consequences.

By Svetlana Marshall