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From:TheBahamasWeekly.com Community
Nassau, Bahamas - Support is growing for the government’s initiative to ban single-use plastics in 2020. Reusable shopping bags distributed in recent promotions are much in evidence. Fresh Market customer Tish said she uses her reusable shopping bags at least once a week. “It was easy to get used to because it’s for a good cause and the bags themselves are great. I fully support the government’s decision to do away with plastic, and what I like about these reusable shopping bags from CIBC FirstCaribbean is they’re sturdy and spacious enough to hold all my groceries and more.” CIBC FirstCaribbean joined forces with AML Foods Limited in their “Bring Your Own Bag” (BYOB) initiative, which gave away 24,000 reusable shopping bags to customers at various Solomon’s supermarket locations.
The AML annual initiative, which has been ongoing for the last four years, bears heightened significance in light of the government’s impending ban on single-use plastics to take effect next year in 2020. The Bahamas will join more than 40 countries that recognize the detrimental impact plastic pollution has on the environment and are taking steps to regulate the use of such pollutants and mitigate their effects. CIBC FirstCaribbean provided 1,500 reusable shopping bags as part of AML Foods Limited’s ‘Bring Your Own Bag’ initiative in hopes of encouraging shoppers in New Providence and Grand Bahama to make a clean transition from plastic bags to other green means. Fresh Market customer, Lee, expressed her enthusiasm about the event. “I think it’s fantastic. [Other parts of the world] have already done away with plastic bags and you have to bring or buy your own reusable bags. So I’m thrilled that The Bahamas is following suit. I brought my own bag from home, and my sister and I are just glad we picked today to do our shopping because now we have this wonderful bag from CIBC FirstCaribbean to add to the others we have.”
AML Foods’ Vice President of Marketing and Communications, Renea Bastian, said, “There is now more than ever a greater awareness surrounding the impact of plastic bags on our natural environment. The ‘Bring Your Own Bag’ event gives our customers access to an alternative and creates a way for them to participate in the fight for a sustainable environment. As a company, we are committed to pushing this green initiative forward and are working towards the goal of eliminating plastic bags completely in our stores. Our goal is to make shoppers more cognizant of how plastics are detrimental to our environment, our marine life, our coral reefs, and to ensure that we preserve our country – the beauty of our country – for generations to come.” Nikia Christie, CIBC FirstCaribbean’s Marketing Manager, said, “We were pleased to partner with AML Foods Limited for this excellent initiative, which goes hand in hand with our bank’s push to protect the environment and reduce our carbon footprint.” “Not only are we supporting the move to reduce and eventually eliminate the use of plastic bags, we are also working to conserve energy in our working environments and reduce paper usage. We are encouraging all staff members and customers to be more environmentally friendly by using our digital banking products, which allow them to check their statements online or on their mobile device, pay bills, and make transfers, reducing the amount of printed documents and physical cheques,” she added.
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