A ban on styrofoam plates and cups becomes effective on 30 June 2020.

This was confirmed by the Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (M.N.R.E.), Ulu Bismarck Crawley.

The ban was initially scheduled for 30 January 2020 but the Ministry extended another six months to businesses to prepare.

The decision also allowed them to exhaust existing supplies of stock and to plan for alternatives once the ban becomes effective.

“The public is hereby advised that the banning on importation, selling, distribution and manufacturing of Styrofoam plates, Styrofoam food containers and cups of any size will come into effect on the 30^th of June 2020.”

It also added that alternatives (paper based plates, cups and food containers) have already been identified and made available through several local suppliers.

All importers are reminded to make sure to take utmost note of the effective date of the ban and the Ministry will strictly monitor for compliance.

The Ministry also advised to discourage from importation of new stocks and ensure all stocks on hand must be sold out before the effective date.

Ongoing monitoring and inspections will be carried out by the Ministry to ensure that all retailers are in compliance with the regulation.

Failure to comply will result in a conviction to a fine not exceeding 100 penalty units or SAT $10,000.00 

When the ban is enforced at the end of June, Samoa will have banned plastic straws, plastic shopping bags and polystyrene takeaway dishes in a bid to reduce the waste ending up in the ocean, generating toxic gases or polluting the food chain.