Customs duty relief will be made for alternatives to single-use plastics after restrictions on the products come into force, the Minister of Public Works and Environment told the House.

Jaché Adams said duties will be finalised and the requisite information made public before any items are prohibited.

Mr Adams spoke before MPs greenlighted the Single-Use Plastics Act 2026. The issue had been under consideration in Bermuda for years.

Mr Adams said restrictions would take effect in a phased manner.

Prior consultation on the issue shaped policy, and more discussions with stakeholders will shape its implementation.

He added: “This Bill does not impose an immediate blanket ban on all single-use plastics. Instead, it establishes the legal framework that allows Bermuda to transition away from the most harmful single-use plastics over time.”

Its schedule listing prohibited items was intentionally been left blank — a move supported by the Opposition.

Mr Adams said nothing could be prohibited unless the Government was satisfied that businesses and consumers had practical alternatives. There would also be “built-in timelines to allow for adjustment”.

Mr Adams said consultation on the issue would proceed within 60 days, after which the ministry would add problem items to the schedule.

For a single-use plastic to be proposed for prohibition, a notice of intention must first be published with the restrictions envisaged and alternatives available.

A minimum six-month period would follow for businesses, importers and the public to give feedback.

“Only where viable and cost-effective alternatives exist can a prohibition order be made,” he said — adding that once the order is made, another six months would be given before it took effect.

He said allowing 12 months between publication of the notice and full implementation of restrictions would ensure “clarity, fairness and predictability”.

The House heard it would start with items widely recognised as easily replaceable before more complex products are considered.

“I am pleased to confirm that the Minister of Finance has agreed to provide customs duty relief on approved alternatives, helping to reduce costs,” Mr Adams said.

Details of the relief are to be finalised during the upcoming consultation, and will be publicised before any item gets prohibited.

Mr Adams said much of the plastics reaching Bermuda’s shores originated elsewhere, but “we are the ones who must live with the consequences”.

Organisations such as Beyond Plastics Bermuda have highlighted that the issue goes beyond the environment.

He added: “It is about our human health as well, as microplastics are now being found in our water, our food and increasingly, in our bodies.”

Linda Smith, the Shadow Minister of Public Works and Environment, said the One Bermuda Alliance supported the legislation.

“We believe that it is the responsible approach,” she said, adding that implementation should be “balanced carefully” with consumer affordability in mind.

Ms Smith also backed the commitment to consultation.

Scott Pearman, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, Shadow Attorney-General and Shadow Minister of Municipalities, echoed Ms Smith’s comments.

He said Bermuda’s geographical location made it a frequent “victim” in environmental issues, and called the passage of the legislation a “clarion call” showing the island’s steps to safeguard the environment.

Diallo Rabain, the Minister of the Cabinet and Digital Innovation, commended the structured framework for a transition away from single-use plastics.

He said: “It ensures that an adequate amount of consultation with business, environmental groups and the wider public must be done before any changes are implemented.”

Alexa Lightbourne, the Minister of Home Affairs, said Bermuda followed steps in banning single-use plastics at the commercial level taken by Caribbean jurisdictions including Antigua & Barbuda, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago and the Bahamas.

She said she was thankful for the shift from the use of plastic bags.

The issue was raised in the 2018 Speech from the Throne with the goal to eliminate them by 2022.

In 2019, Walter Roban, the former Minister of Home Affairs, said the Government was drafting legislation to phase out single-use plastics and would consult community groups.

The plan to have a ban in place by 2022 stalled and in July 2024 it was raised again when Mr Roban said a paper was being prepared to present to the Cabinet before the end of the summer.

In a November 2024 update, Mr Roban confirmed the Attorney-General had begun drafting the legislation.