More Standpipes & Drinking Fountains = Fewer Plastic Bottles
Hilton Beach in the morning before cleaning
Take a walk along any beach in Barbados or anywhere in the world for that matter – and you’ll see the plastic rubbish washed up on the shore. Nets, flip-flops, water bottles, toys, bags, lines and so many fishing net floats.
Ask any mariner though, and you’ll be told that what we see on the shore is nothing compared with what’s out there in the sea. Ask any marine diesel mechanic about the increasing number of engines ruined by plastic blockages in the cooling system. Ask any marine biologist about the fish and bird kill by plastic.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the United States, there is a garbage patch made of floating plastic in the Pacific Ocean that covers an area twice the size of Texas. It’s called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
We can’t continue like this folks, around the world or on this island. Just look around Barbados at the plastic rubbish everywhere. It doesn’t matter where you go – to the remotest cove, gully or field – you’ll find this plastic garbage and much of it is plastic water and beverage bottles.
Filling your own bottle from the tap is one thing, tossing endless empty plastic bottles into landfills and the ocean is another.
Whatsay, friends? Could we, should we, restrict or ban the sale of disposable plastic water bottles in Barbados?
Here’s a few videos about plastic and the sea…
… and this one …
Barbados Free Press 
just about everywhere in the world there is a good deposit that is required to be placed when you take out any bottle.
Make the deposit high enough and 99% of these bottles will be returned by someone for recycling.
Deposits on bottles and re-cycling has to be the answer, I think.
The performance we have to go through at Emerald City Supermarket to get our few cents back is ubelievable.
The bottles have to be clean and undamaged, only of a certain brand, and the counting and inspecting by the worker is rigorous to say the least.
A paper receipt is hand-written, signed by worker and customer, and can only be spent in the supermarket.
At check-out, the receipt has to be signed by a supervisor, not the check-out clerk, delaying yet again the check-out queue.
Don’t forget that the caps have to be removed.
B’s Bottles, St. Thomas, will come to collect plastic (and glass) bottles, aluminium cans, and even have a facility to take ‘heavy metal’ (fridges, washers, cars). They pay about the going rate for returns elsewhere. They will take newspapers too, though the market may not be so good. This should be made known to everyone.
Ban the importation of bottled water, promote the use of filters in our homes and bottle your own water. I am curious of the amount of foriegn exchange spent on importating bottled water.
The water in Barbados is so good – fantastic even. Why would anyone there bother with bottled water? They only need a stainless steel or other refillable bottle and fill it with tap water. It is about the best water I have tasted when traveling.
Barbados has a deposit on pet bottles and actually on all containers. Hence the reason why you always see paros picking up pet bottles.
I’d venture to say that much of the stuff washed up on our beaches comes from the sea and a smaller portion of it from the land.
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First of all – great article.
We would buy bottled water due to kidney problems and thought that it was better. That, we now question and have gone for a good filter bought from the USA. I
t was very tough to purchase a good water filter here in Barbados in addition to getting lost in all the filter details – reverse osmosis, carbon filters, etc etc. The filter will pay for itself due to the savings in bottled water, but what is best is the clear conscience of not using plastic bottles.
We would encourage all, if you are so concerned about the water and have the money to go for a filter and a refilable bottle. Better for your health and the environment.
Great article and so true. Keep pushing this message and hopefully we will all use less plastic bottles! I’m using filters already. Best of luck
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