Some businesses failed to adequately prepare for plastic ban, says JMEA president

Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association president Metry Seaga has disagreed with claims that the government's plastic bag ban was rushed.

The ban was announced in September and will take effect tomorrow.

Arguing that the policy is necessary to safeguard the environment, Seaga says there are those who failed to take the government seriously despite the clear signs that the policy would be implemented.

He was speaking this afternoon with The Gleaner shortly after a press conference at Jamaica House called by Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation Daryl Vaz to provide update on the ban.

“I am not convinced that it was a rushed policy, and the truth is we as business people have to take some of the blame because some of our members have admitted that they didn’t take the Government seriously.

“They didn’t think it was going to come to this; they thought there was going to be political pressure and other pressures that would have forced them to backtrack on it,” said Seaga.

“You have to give the government kudos for their resilience on this policy,” Seaga added.

He contends that history will look favourably on the landmark policy as a watershed moment, adding that he believes it is the start of something positive in Jamaica. 

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