SHOPS in Honiara are urging their customers to take with them their own shopping bags when shopping, instead of relying on plastic bags.
This follows the issuance of the Legal Notice on the ban on single-use plastics which came into effect on September 1.
Despite the notice being put up in shops, only a few customers have adhered to the ban.
Solomon Star paper visited some shops in town and witnessed the notice displayed in shops but many customers seem to ignore it.
The ban is part of the Green Games Initiative launched by the Prime Minister to ensure a clean, green and safe Honiara for the 17th Pacific Games next month.
Waste management is a major challenge in Solomon Islands, let alone Honiara, and the ban if effectively enforced by the responsible authorities and complied with by everyone in the country should see a change in the attitude of all towards environmental cleanliness.
The ban prohibits the import, manufacture, distribution and sale of various single-use plastics, including plastic shopping bags, plastic bottles, plastic straws, containers, and plastic cutlery.
Customers and shoppers are strongly encouraged to bring their own bags for a more environmentally-friendly shopping experience.
By LACHLAN EDDIE HOE
Solomon Star, Honiara
