The Social and Economic Council (SER) of Curaçao issued today its advice on
an initiative proposal submitted by the MAN-PIN faction in Parliament to amend the Public Order Ordinance.
The proposal seeks to restrict the distribution and offering of single-use plastic products, particularly at public
events and in sales or distribution on or along public roads.
The initiative aims to reduce pollution and litter in public spaces by limiting the use of disposable food and
beverage items and by assigning clearer responsibility for proper waste collection to permit holders, organizers
and distributors. The issue is visible in Curaçao’s streets, coastal areas and public venues, but it also reflects a
wider global debate over plastic waste, public health, circular economy practices and the capacity of
governments to translate environmental goals into enforceable rules.
The proposal is a revised version of an earlier initiative submitted to the SER in February 2020. The Council
issued advice on that earlier proposal in July of the same year. In its latest review, the SER did not treat the
proposal solely as an environmental measure. It examined it as a broader socioeconomic and institutional
question: not only whether reducing single-use plastics is desirable, but under what conditions such a measure
can work in practice.
The SER assessed the proposal from several perspectives. It considered the extent to which the measure
could help reduce plastic-related litter, the legal clarity of the proposed restrictions, the administrative burden
for licensing and enforcement authorities, the practical feasibility of monitoring compliance in public spaces,
and the potential consequences for businesses and consumers. The Council also examined the availability and
affordability of alternatives, the position of small businesses, the importance of public communication and the
need for workable transition periods.
The review underscores that plastic pollution cannot be addressed effectively through a single prohibition or
regulatory clause alone. A restriction on disposable plastic products is more likely to be effective when it forms
part of a broader strategy that includes waste prevention, reuse, behavioral change, practical enforcement and
periodic evaluation. In a small island economy with a significant tourism profile, environmental quality, public
health, urban cleanliness and economic attractiveness are closely connected.
The SER’s analysis therefore focused on the conditions required to make the initiative implementable,
enforceable and socially workable. These include clear legal definitions, unambiguous responsibilities for
permit holders and distributors, realistic enforcement capacity, timely information for businesses and
consumers, and sufficient adjustment time for sectors that deal directly with the public.
In that sense, the SER of Curaçao placed the initiative within a wider policy framework. Reducing plastic waste
is not only a matter of banning certain products. It is also a matter of governance: who collects waste, who
monitors compliance, what alternatives exist, how businesses are prepared and how results are measured.
Those questions will determine whether the proposal can contribute in practice to a cleaner, healthier and more
economically resilient public environment.
Curaçao SER reviews plastic waste proposal through a broader policy lens
