Panama on Saturday became the first central American country to ban single-use plastic bags.The country is trying to control pollution on its beaches and help tackle what the United Nations has identified as one of the world's biggest environmental challenges.
The isthmus country of about 4 million people joins more than 60 other countries, including Chile and Colombia, that have completely or partially banned single-use plastic bags.
Supermarkets, pharmacies and retailers in panama must immediately stop using traditional polythene bags, while wholesalers must comply by 2020.Governments can impose fines for non-compliance, but there are exceptions for using plastic bags for hygiene reasons, such as raw food.
On the streets of panama city, signs reading "less plastic bags, more life" reminded passers-by that the measure had taken effect.
"It seems like a good measure because you can stop polluting streets and neighborhoods," said Victoria Gomez, 42, a secretary in downtown panama.
In Latin America, one of the world's most biologically diverse regions, birds, turtles, seals, whales and fish often wrap or eat plastic bags and their residues.Along the coast of panama, plastic waste is often seen littering beaches, especially in densely populated areas.
Given projected increases in consumption, the oceans are projected to contain more plastic than fish by 2050 without New anti-pollution policies, according to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's New Plastics Economy 2016.By then, the report found, the entire plastics industry will have consumed 20 percent of total oil production.