30 Oct 2020

Vanuatu thinks again on diaper ban issue

2:49 pm on 30 October 2020
Stack of nappies. 24 Jan 2019

Photo: 123RF

Reports from Vanuatu say many mothers have welcomed the government's decision to delay a ban on disposable nappies.

The ban was meant to come into effect on December 31st but the Council of Ministers announced earlier this month that the use of disposable nappies would continue until a solution is found.

This followed consultations with different stakeholders which concluded the main issue is how and where the nappies are discarded.

Mothers told a consultation in Port Vila that the nappy ban would have just lumped more responsibility onto mothers and families.

The Vanuatu Chamber of Commerce and Industry said in a statement a supposed survey on the nappy ban undertaken by the Department of Environment was not a survey but a pamphlet promoting the ban, and did not provide a a discussion on the pros and cons of the issue.