Quintana Roo's new law for the Prevention, Management and Circular Economy of the Waste (PMCEW), was approved in early 2019. The new law bans single-use-plastic but exempts the plastic packaging in the food industry which is the biggest generator of plastic waste.
Quintana Roo is located in Southeastern Mexico. There are more than 50 coral species and its reefs are a shelter for over 500 fish varieties. The state is also home to the Sian Ka'an Biosphere, the largest underground river in the world, but also to the Mayan culture heritage (CONABIO, 2016). The geologic formation of QRoo is made of limestone rock which makes it's ground highly permeable and allows any water, including toxic, to escape into the soil and become a part of the widespread river system very quickly. Moreover, 70% of QRoo is a tropical forest. This region deserves special attention and protection from the mass plastic waste disposal.
The State Congress has to open for an immediate review of the new law to include these regulations for the businesses and locals:
1. The "big businesses" have to present an annual report of their plastic waste management.
2. The State has to improve the new waste treatment plant in Cancun to manage the plastic waste that generates all the municipalities in Quintana Roo.
3. The State has to strictly regulate commercial waste separation and introduce an annual compulsory goal for businesses of 50% plastic waste & others to be recycled by reporting in the annual report to the Ministry of Ecology and Environment.
4. The State has to obligate retailers to use a minimum of 30% eco-friendly packaging per year and increase it gradually.
5. Companies have to ensure that its waste collection is made by official authorities and verify that its waste was transported to the accurate facility for its treatment.
6. Penalize businesses with an increase up to 30% of annual taxes if the management of plastic waste and another type of litter does not fulfill the minimum criteria with efficient practices that contribute to the waste treatment.
7. Incentivize an annual tax reduction for businesses, up to 10%, using award criteria based on an evaluation of their plastic waste & other management, according to their annual informs.
8. Introduce the mandatory use of trash bags that can only be utilized for the plastic waste & other management respectively, with colors and instructions to facilitate the separation for households and its collection by local authorities.
9. Create fines for households that do not separate properly plastic waste and others.
10. Create a public annual forum to discuss plastic waste and other management with the society, private sector, and academia and present the results of the State and challenges for the upcoming year in waster management.
¡Let's Make Quintana Roo Plastic Free Again!
