Interpretation

In these Regulations“Belize Bureau of Standards” means the Bureau of Standards established under section 3 of the Standards Act; CAP. 295. “barrier bags and plastics” means any plastic that is an integral part of the packaging in which goods are sealed for sale and are used for packaging unpacked perishable foods; “bio-based” means the amount of bio-based carbon in the material or product as a percent of the weight (mass) of the total organic carbon in the product; “bio-based plastic” means plastics that are biodegradable by nature and produced from natural origins; “biodegradability” means the ability of a substance to be broken down into simpler substances by living things especially by microorganism; “biodegradable” or “biodegrade” means material180 Environmental Protection (a) capable of undergoing decomposition into carbon dioxide, methane, water, inorganic compounds, or biomass in which the predominant mechanism is the enzymatic action of microorganism, that can be measured by standardized tests, in a specified period of time, reflecting available disposal condition; (b) capable of being broken down chemically by living organisms into non–toxic substances, within a specified period of time; or (c) that can be decomposed into non–toxic substances by the action of naturally occurring microorganisms, within a specified period of time; “biodegradable plastic” means– (a) plastics that can be degraded by living organisms or microorganisms into water, methane and inorganic compounds or non- toxic residue, within a specified period of time; or (b) a degradable plastic in which degradation results from the action of naturally occurring microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi and algae, within a specified period of time; “certification” means third-party attestation that products, processes, systems or persons conform to established standards; “commercially biodegradable plastic” means any plastic that has a minimum bio-based content that is greater than fifty percent, and capable of biodegrading within three hundred and sixty-five days into an innocuous product by the action of living organisms as part of an approved disposal process; Environmental Protection 181 “compostable plastic” means any plastic that undergoes degradation by undergoing biological decomposition in a compost site, such that the plastic is not distinguishable or leaves no toxic residue and breaks down into carbon dioxide, water, inorganic compounds and biomass at a rate consistent with known compostable materials; “compostable” means material that– (a) is biodegradable; and (b) is capable of undergoing biological decomposition in a composite site, such that the material is not distinguishable or leave toxic residue and breaks down into carbon dioxide, water, inorganic compounds and biomass at a rate consistent with known compostable materials; “conformity assessment” means demonstration that specified requirements relating to a product, process, system, person or body are fulfilled, typically conducted through quality assessment services such as sampling, inspections, testing, calibration or certification; “degradable” means material that– (a) with respect to specific environmental conditions, undergoes degradation to a specific extent within a given time measured by a specific standard test method; and (b) is broken down by bacterial (biodegradable), thermal (oxidative), or ultraviolet (photodegradable) action; CAP.328. “Department” means the Department of the Environment established under section 3 of the Act; 182 Environmental Protection “environmentally degradable plastic” means a plastic that is designed to undergo a significant change in its chemical structure under one or more combined environmental conditions, resulting in a loss of some properties that may vary as measured by standard test methods appropriate to the plastic and the application in a period of time that determines its classification; “independent testing laboratory” means any laboratory recognized under the international accreditation framework recognized and registered by the Belize Bureau of Standards; “international accreditation framework” includes– (a) the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation; and (b) the International Accreditation Forum; "national standards" means standards made by the Belize Bureau of Standards; “plastic” means a material that– (a) contains as an essential ingredient one or more organic polymeric substances of large molecular weight; (b) is solid in its finished state; and (c) at some stage in its manufacture or processing into finished articles, can be shaped by flow; Schedule II “prohibited product” means any single-use plastic product specified in Schedule II; Schedule I “restricted product” means any single-use plastic product specified in Schedule I; Environmental Protection 183 “single-use plastic product” means plastic products that are designed or intended for one time use before disposed or recycled; and “third-party certification” means an assurance given by an independent testing laboratory, that a product, service or system meets the requirement of established standards.