WILLEMSTAD - It appears that the Advisory Council (RvA) has given negative advice on a second version of a draft environmental law because too little account has been taken to the advice on the first version.

This appears from a recently published advice from the RvA. The environmental law plan is in itself good. The aim is to prohibit the provision of plastic bags, cups, straws, polystyrene cups and polystyrene trays, intended for one time use, since these products pollute the environment.

But: "The Explanatory Memorandum (MvT) lacks any substantiation for the specific reasons why this material has been chosen and not, for example, the prohibition of plastic cutlery, plates, garbage bags and drinking bottles and polystyrene plates."

The reason for the bill is that citizens, companies and the government do or have done too little or insufficient to reduce the number of activities and products that are harmful to the environment, the MvT shows.

The RvA's first point of criticism is that it wonders why the draft law has been incorporated into the Commodities Ordinance. "Both the Netherlands and Aruba have opted not to regulate the prohibition on offering or providing plastic carrier bags (for free) in the Commodities Act or the Commodities Ordinance," said the RvA.