Kralendijk – In anticipation of the introduction of a ban on the use of disposable plastic, the Executive Council have given all employees of the Public Entity a refillable water bottle.

“We think it’s the most natural thing in the world when we’re on the road or going to the beach to quickly buy a bottle of water and throw it away when it’s empty. On Bonaire alone, we are talking about hundreds of thousands of bottles and much more if we include those of tourists. That is a huge pile of plastic” said Commissioner James Kroon. Commissioner Kroon has agreed with Minister Stientje van Veldhoven that Bonaire will introduce a ban on plastic for one-time use within two years to discourage people as much as possible, for example by making people aware that there are alternatives, such as refillable water bottles, since the tap water on Bonaire is of excellent quality.

To set a good example as a Government, the Executive Council has added a refillable water bottle to the traditional Christmas basket that was awarded to employees last month. “We hope that other employers also give their staff a refillable bottle as a gift. In this way we can take a first meaningful step together to make that very large pile of plastic a lot smaller and thereby confirm our image as a clean island” said Commissioner Kroon