According to the government of Santa Cruz, the Galapagos Islands, single-use packaging of beer and soft drinks will be banned from landing and selling on the island from February 26. It may also be another important measure to protect the environment after Ecuadorian authorities banned the use of plastic bags, straws and bottles with handles in the Galapagos Islands Biosphere Reserve.

When researchers from the Galapagos National Park Council found plastic waste in the nests of native finches, as well as in the stomachs of sea turtles and albatrosses, they knew that humans were altering this pristine Galapagos ecosystem.

It is estimated that up to 13 million tons of plastic ends up in the ocean each year, and at least 50 percent of that waste is made up of single-use plastics that remain in the environment for at least 500 years.

At the waste disposal center, this reporter found one such plastic drink bottle, the origin of which is listed as Peru, which is clearly not a native product of the Galapagos. In the last year alone, 200 tons of plastic waste have been collected in and around the islands. And it's no exaggeration to say that almost all of that plastic waste came from elsewhere.

Some 280,000 people visited the islands in 2018, nearly double the number a decade ago, according to Galapagos National Park data. In the Galapagos, about 90 percent of residents work directly or indirectly in tourism-related jobs, and their average incomes are significantly higher than in the rest of Ecuador. The arrival of tourists has undoubtedly boosted the local economy, but it also inevitably creates more waste.

Local residents say they will never stand idly by as the ecology of the archipelago is destroyed and threatened. In addition to actively participating in the campaign to clean up Marine debris, the local government is working hard to implement effective waste management. Each household is required to sort its waste into recyclable, non-recyclable and organic waste, with fines for violators.

In addition, the local government has introduced environmental protection courses in primary and secondary schools, advocating reducing household waste, rejecting waste and promoting recycling.

Plastic Industry Video