Samoa Conservation Society president James Atherton said Samoa has been attempting to phase out single-use plastics since 2018, but there has been a significant increase in plastic imports from 2020 to 2023. 

They have noticed the rise in plastic bottles and caps. 

Atherton highlighted the need for heightened awareness and action to manage plastic waste and boost recycling rates. 

"SCS applauds MNRE’s efforts since 2018 to phase out single-use plastics from Samoa. However, there has been a doubling of plastic imports into Samoa between 2020 and 2023 (see graph below)," he said in response to queries by this newspaper.

"SCS analysed data from SBS for plastic imports into Samoa for 2020 to 2023. It shows a doubling of plastic imports that can be weighed (ie not including rolls and sheets etc which are measured by area) including a doubling of plastic bottles and plastic cap imports between 2020 and 2023."

Additionally, there are concerns about the enforcement of bans on single-use plastics, such as straws, and the timeline for banning other items like cutlery. The activation of a proposed plastic container deposit scheme is also a concern.

"Overall, this is depressing news and highlights the need for a greater effort to raise awareness on the need to manage our plastic imports, and in particular reduce the use of single-use plastics and increase recycling rates," Atherton said. 

"In summary, our concerns are: plastic straws are still found in some shops, so there appears to be an issue with the enforcement of bans. Is the phase-out of other single-use plastics- such as single-use cutlery going to happen as in other Pacific islands? When will the proposed plastics container deposit scheme be activated?"

Queries by this newspaper were also sent to the Samoa Recycling and Waste Management Association (SRWMA) and Samoa and Tokelau Association of Recyclers (STAR) but there was no response as of press time.