A National Strategy for Improved Chemicals Handling for Belize  

Today, a diverse group of industry representatives and companies that use chemicals came together for a workshop focused on improving chemical management. The goal? To develop a National Strategy that ensures Belize meets its commitments to four key environmental conventions on managing chemicals that can turn into pollutants. The Ministry of Sustainable Development and Climate Change brought in consultant Stephen Sangster to lead the event. Chief Environmental Officer Anthony Mai emphasized the importance of proper chemical management for a healthy environment and hinted at upcoming legislation to regulate this area. News Five’s Marion Ali was on the scene and filed this report.

 

Marion Ali, Reporting

Today, representatives from various agencies and industrial companies gathered for a workshop that examined how Belize handles chemical waste. Chief Environmental Officer Anthony Mai explained that once chemicals are used, they turn into waste. It’s then up to the Department of the Environment to make sure this waste is managed properly, so it doesn’t harm the environment or our health.

 

Anthony Mai, Chief Environmental Officer

“Chemical has the capacity to create significant environmental harm and health-related harm. So it is important for the Department of Environment to put measures in place to be able to reduce the negative impact that chemicals could have on the environment and to human health. Today we’re here because we’ve hired a consultant to develop the base tool that we would need to guide our direction forward. So we have key institutions here because chemicals stretch across all sectors. Chemicals are used at the household level, at the health sector, in the agriculture sector, by academia, by the private sector, so it involves all sectors.”

 

Belize is already recognized as a trailblazer in the Caribbean and Latin America. To keep up the momentum, the Ministry has brought on board Stephen Sangster, a Chemistry Lecturer from U.B., as a consultant. His mission? To lead the charge in creating a solid framework for new legislation that ensures proper chemical management.

 

Stephen Sangster, Consultant, Department of the Environment

“Belize is actually one of the leaders in the region when it comes to implementing these agreements, We have a lot of laws and frameworks in place. We do have some reports that we’ve done but there’s more that we can do.”

 

Sangster emphasizes that as environmentalists and the legal team work on updating the legislation, it’s crucial to launch an education campaign. This campaign would teach people how to properly handle and manage the chemicals they use every day.

 

Stephen Sangster

“One of the main things that Belize has done is phased out a lot of the very persistent chemicals that stain the environment for long periods of time. We’re making sure we’re not producing it in country, that they don’t come into country, but there are a few that we’re managing as we go. Things like mercury and DDT that we use to control malaria, those chemicals are useful in our current climate but what we want to do is make sure that everybody is aware of how to best manage the use and day-to-day interactions with these chemicals and how do we dispose of it when we’re done with it, making sure that it’s not leaking into our environment. There is a lot of information that these agreements have provided some technical assistance in how do we manage these chemicals.”

 

Mai points out that although Belize has a solid track record in managing chemical waste, there are new areas the global community is aiming to improve. That’s where we need to direct our attention.

 

Anthony Mai

“Currently there are some major international conventions that Belize is a signatory to. For example, there’s the Basel Convention, the Rotterdam Convention, the Stockholm Convention, the Minamata Convention and recently there’s the Global Framework on Chemicals Management. All of these conventions are important. All of them look at chemicals from a different perspective and require different obligations from our country.”

 

Minister of Sustainable Development, Orlando Habet, said that once the National Strategy is finalized, he will urge the Cabinet to take the necessary actions to implement it.

 

Orlando Habet, Minister of Sustainable Development

“I will be taking some of these information papers and memorandum papers to Cabinet for their approval and those that will become the Act and Regulations will also have to go to the House for acceptance by the House of Representatives for them to become the Acts, but very importantly for us is that we comply but also because compliance is also providing human wellness that we need in our country, both for agriculture and human health, and in the broad sense, also for the environment.”

The Department of the Environment keeps a close eye on things, and when they spot violations and find those responsible, they don’t hesitate to take legal action against the offenders. Marion Ali for News Five.