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–    Distributors call for cultural shift, tax breaks, concessions Keeran Danny and Javon VickerieA cultural shift from bio-degradable containers for food packaging as an alternative to Styrofoam is necessary in the food industry and pertinent for a healthy environment.Patricia Bacchus CCI’s Chief Operating Officer displays samples of the various Eco Pak containersWith Government planning to restrict the importation of Styrofoam,Cheap Stitched Jerseys, alternatives are already available in Guyana.Last year, Caribbean Containers Inc (CCI) located at Farm, East Bank Demerara, launched Eco Pak as the new environmentally friendly way to package food. Eco Pak products are said to be 100 percent non-toxic, harmless and healthy. The containers are 100 percent bio-degradable 90 days after use.Eco Pak on the marketAccording to Patricia Bacchus, CCI’s Chief Operating Officer, Eco Pak,Brooks Laich Capitals Jersey, which is not manufactured locally, is available on the domestic market. Currently, a number of restaurants such as Cara Lodge, Oasis Café, the New Palm Court and German’s Restaurant are using this bio-degradable product line as their food packaging solution.She added that many Government Ministries and departments and the Central Islamic Organization of Guyana purchase Eco Pak containers occasionally for functions. The line was on the shelf of Budget Supermarket for some time.Bacchus said that the cultural shift has not happened as quickly as CCI would have liked.“The price differential between this (Eco Pak) and Styrofoam is negligible- in some instances you talking about less than $20. With the type of mark up in the food industry it is usually about a 150 percent to 200 percent mark up on cost.“You would have thought restaurant owners would have taken it upon themselves to absorb that cost or even share it with the consumer. But I don’t think they have been inspired enough to adopt that cultural change to prefer bio-degradable products.”In an effort to promote the line, CCI has created a number of services including delivery of products to Georgetown and a credit approval process that allows companies and individuals to purchase in bulk and settle their bills on a monthly basis or fortnightly.Bacchus believes that “unless there are some monetary levies or prohibitions of some sort .most businesses would not see the need to adopt a more environmentally friendly packaging solution”.According to Bacchus, CCI imports and distributes Eco Pak containers. The company is capable of meeting the local demand in event there is a ban on Styrofoam.“We have a large stock on hand that we continue to carry in event there is an upsurge in Eco Pak order.”Bacchus enlightened that CCI purchases Eco Pak from a manufacturing company in Far East Asia. The manufacturer supplies a lot of companies on the European, Middle Eastern and American markets. And, CCI is the first client in this Region.Jermin’s EnterpriseCCI is not the only company that introduced bio-degradable containers on the local market last year. Jermin’s Enterprise located on Regent Street is another distributor of biodegradable food containers.According to Office Manager,Henrik Zetterberg Red Wings Jersey, Aduni Simon, at GuyExpo 2012 the company launched its biodegradable food containers. A number of restaurants including Supreme Snackette, German’s Restaurant,Cheap Spain Soccer Jerseys, Red Cherry,Chicago Cubs Ron Santo Jersey, Guinness Bar, Oasis Café and Excellence Food Court utilize these food containers.Styrofoam containers clog drains.Simon noted that the enterprise provides a wide range of boxes for cakes, food,Wholesale Houston Rockets Jerseys, soup bowls, fries, wedding cakes and an assortment of cups. All are made from 100 percent biodegradable materials.According to Simon,Wholesale Jerseys, all of the containers are being imported into Guyana. “Well we receive the boxes from Trinidad and Tobago and we get the cups from United States of America,” Simon said.She added that although most of their sales are made in Georgetown and Linden, the enterprise is now looking at ways to have the boxes distributed nationwide. However, accessing tax concessions is one of the main problems that the enterprise encounters.At the moment the entity is finding it difficult to compete with Styrofoam as it tries to provide the boxes at a cheaper price to consumers.“What can happen is that government can levy more taxes on Styrofoam boxes making them competitive with the biodegradable boxes so that the consumer can have a choice not based on their pockets,” Simon noted.During the Children’s Mashramani Competition this year, Jermin’s Enterprise donated over 10,000 food boxes to the Allied Arts Department of the Ministry of Education.  “Well we did this initiative because we believe that in order to send over a message the best way to do it is through children. Since the donation we have not gotten any report from the Ministry as to how the boxes were used or how was it disposed,” the Manager said.“It is time to be aware about what is happening to the environment and we need to learn that biodegradable is the way to go,J.J. Hardy Orioles Jersey,” Simon added.One of best selling boxes according to Simon is the polycoated boxes. This container when closed becomes sealed around the edges which prevents seepageApart from the containers, Simon told Kaieteur News that the enterprise plans to introduce wooden spoons to replace the regularly used plastic ones.Restriction of Styrofoam containersAccording to Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Roger Luncheon, Styrofoam has played an inordinately important role in the accumulation of solid waste for disposal by local authorities. Because of its non-disposable and chemical nature that does not make it useful in recycling operations, Styrofoam ends up in landfill sites, where the evidence shows it exists indefinitely.He said that Government has not formulated precise and implementable interventions to ban this non bio-degradable material. Last June,Wholesale New York Yankees Jerseys, Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment, Robert Persaud, obtained Cabinet’s approval on a menu of measures to restrict Styrofoam products in Guyana.They are the “imposition of taxes and duties on Styrofoam importation and use with the intention, of course, of being a disincentive to its importation and use in the food industry; and, the second was the creation and the offer of incentives to importers and the users of alternatives to Styrofoam in the food sector”.