Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - Under the premise of social responsibility for our natural environment, councilman Juan José Cuevas García recently presented the City Council with an initiative that calls for the gradual transition to the use of biodegradables and subsequent prohibition of the use of some plastic products in all commercial establishments in Puerto Vallarta.

During his presentation, the councilman explained that human activity and the evolution of society have meant important advances in industry, technology and knowledge. However, he said, the growth of human settlements and the rapid increase of non-degradable implements useful for daily life have had great consequences for the environment that are reflected in water and air pollution, as well as the loss of important animal and plant habitats on land and sea.

He pointed out that plastic contamination is causing irreparable damage to the planet, since 300 million tons of this material are discarded annually, of which a high percentage ends up in our rivers and oceans.

Given this problem, and with tourism being the main economic activity of Puerto Vallarta, and the beaches the main attraction at national and international levels, the alderman asked the committees to act on the initiative to gradually prohibit the use of plastic and straws in local businesses.

In his proposal, Cuevas García proposes five actions, such as changing the use of plastic bags to reusable bags; encouraging the use of personal containers when buying food or drinks to go; buying food and other products in bulk to avoid packaging waste; and to avoid buying bottled water, as well as working to improve recycling management in Puerto Vallarta shops and homes.

The councilman's initiative was turned over to the Ecology, Public Services, Regulations and Constitutional Points commissions for analysis, study and opinion, and subsequent approval in the plenary session of the City Council.