A year into their partnership aimed at helping to move the community beyond single-use plastic, the environmental campaign group Beyond Plastic Bermuda and Bacardi have celebrated their progress to date.

The Government intends to introduce legislation this year to ban 12 categories of single-use plastics.

The Beyond Plastic campaign said it has spoken to thousands of Bermudians in the past 24 months on the street, in boardrooms, on the radio, in restaurants, supermarkets, through their computers and on social media.

The campaign continues to inspire businesses through its Champions for Change programme, of which Bacardi led the way a year ago.

Katie Berry, campaign lead, said: “We are delighted to announce our first school champion, BHS and our first restaurant group, Little Venice Restaurant & Bar, who have achieved bronze and silver status.

“The Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club, Aspen and PwC are new business champions, as well as Sportseller.”

All these businesses have worked through the Champions programme to receive single-use-free status, Beyond Plastic said.

Of particular note, the organisation added, is Little Venice which has worked hard to find alternatives and promote reuseables to achieve silver status.

The campaign encourages other restaurateurs to get in touch to see how it can be done.

Danny Lim, executive chef at Little Venice, said the restaurant made the move away from plastic to paper bags, cardboard and aluminium containers, bamboo straws and plant-based cutlery.

He said: “We completely switched over from plastic to paper and aluminium.”

As an example of the extra costs involved, Mr Lim said plastic bags cost 1.5 to 2 cents each while paper bags cost 30 to 40 cents each.

Mr Lim added: “It was a struggle at the beginning, but as the [paper and aluminium] product became easily available at a lower cost, it makes it simple to switch.

“We at Little Venice believe in this programme, and becoming more environmentally friendly.

“Make the change today for a better tomorrow. Reuse, recycle and reduce the waste for a better future.”

Douglas Mello, managing director of Bacardi’s Bermuda office, said: “At Bacardi, we are committed to leading positive change, both within our business and within our communities.

“Doing the right thing for the long term and looking for sustainable alternatives to plastic will lead to positive environmental changes that create a healthier future for our community.

“As a Beyond Plastic Champion for Change, we hope to inspire local businesses and individuals to join this impactful environmental campaign and help put an end to plastic pollution.”

Ms Berry added: “We are thankful to all the retailers, restaurateurs, schools, clubs, businesses and individuals who are champions, leading the way and being Beyond Plastic Champions.

“We all know change is not easy. It does not happen overnight and it is always slower than we would hope. In order to get there we need everyone working together.

“We do need legislation but we need individuals to make the changes and we need businesses to see that the future is single-use plastic free.

“Ultimately, our island will be the better for it but even more importantly our people and their health will be. We all have a responsibility to the future.

“We realise it may not be possible to be perfectly plastic free but if everyone reduced the number of single-use plastic items they use daily, it would make a huge difference.”

Walter Roban, the Deputy Premier, attended an event at Bacardi to highlight the campaign. He acknowledged it was not an easy change but said that it was a vital one for the community.

Mr Roban told attendees: “Using a phased approach, the Government remains committed to introducing a Bill to reduce single-use plastics beginning in the coming months.

“We have committed to ensuring that the public have the opportunity to provide feedback on the Bill as well.

“While the aim is to have a positive impact on the environment and human health, we are aware of the need to avoid any adverse economic effects.”