MODERNIZATION
REDUCING PLASTICS REVIVES TRADITIONS
PORT VILA, VANUATU
Vanuatu generates 246 metric tons (542,000 pounds) of plastic waste per year. If you are not happy with plastic usage where you live or visit, Vanuatu could spark ideas about how you can advocate for simple changes.
What's
changing
Island countries that rely on imports to feed the population generate 40% more waste than non-island countries. This volume of waste becomes a bigger problem when an island is not large enough for the landfill infrastructure needed to store the trash. Island residents are noticing the impact the excessive waste has on nature.
What's already
possible
In 2018, the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu became one of the first in the world to ban many single-use plastics. This included plastic straws and disposable shopping bags.
Seizing
the opportunity
The legal change started in 2017 with a petition on Facebook organized by concerned locals. It quickly reached the prime minister. Shortly afterward, the foreign minister developed a plan to implement what would become the 2018 ban on plastics, including the world’s first ban on straws. The government expanded the ban in 2020 and 2023 to add more items. With fines for breaking the ban being 20,000 Vanuatu Vatu or more, the law is taken seriously. Plastic bottles are not a part of the ban yet, and the government makes exceptions for industries like fishing where it is impractical to avoid plastic packaging at this time.
Standout
tactic
As an unintended benefit of the plastic bag ban, eco-friendly industries have filled the void left by the ban. Artisans have a higher demand for traditional bags to replace thin, plastic ones. Companies have invented disposable pots made from pandanus leaves for nursery crops. Food at events is often served on leaves. All of these opportunities are keeping money in the community and supporting the economic health of new, small-business owners.
How
it helps
Banned items are now 2% of Vanuatu’s waste, where they used to be more than 30%. Residents are seeing a reduction in the amount of trash washing ashore in bays and rivers.
Diving
deeper
How can places with plastic bans avoid creating a strain on local resources or an increase in carbon emissions from alternative manufacturing processes?
Increasing
impact
Island nations tackling waste challenges could work together to pressure big food manufacturers to use packaging options that prevent plastics from arriving on the islands.
Traveling
better
Travel is inherently carbon intensive. Whether you are taking a mini-break or an annual vacation, consider ways to minimize your impact by staying longer in one place, reconsidering how you travel to the destination, and supporting businesses that are working to make their community and the world a better place.
