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Plastic straws, styrofoam and other single-use plastics will be banned from Dominica as of January 2019, the Caribbean nation announced Friday.
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The island is journeying towards a greener economy after state officials announced the national ban on various single-use products, saying that an itemized list of prohibited products will be released at a later date.
During his June budget address, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said: "Dominica prides itself as the 'Nature Isle.' We must in every way deserve and reflect that designation. The issue of solid waste management affects that perception and we continue to grapple with it.
"Extreme weather events are now more frequent and intense, brought on by climate-change impacts that are real, visible, devastating and unrelenting," he continued, referring to Hurricane Maria.
The prime minister said the nation must protect its environment if it ever hopes to rebuild and "reset" the island's society and economy.
Dominica aims to segway the green initiative into communities a year earlier than its neighbors in the Bahamas, who also announced a ban on single-use items in April to be implemented by 2020.
Further south, Chilean stores are prohibited from using plastic bags while companies also adjust to the recent ban on fossil fuels which together attempt to create a decarbonized society.
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