Aruba is a country in the Caribbean Islands and to this day part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The country is a real tourist gem with the charm of the beach and sea. However, plastic pollution is still a problem that the country must face.

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According to European Parliamentary Research Service, the problem of garbage in the sea from day to day is increasingly unstoppable. The volume of waste in the sea, over time, also continues to increase rapidly. This condition leads  the government of Aruba to take an important step to create a healthy environment. ot only for Aruba but also to the world.

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In 2017, the government made the decision to reduce plastic waste. One of them is to ban single-use plastic in Aruba. As in 2019 is a transition phase to a full ban by 2020, a group of 5 students with a big enthusiasm for a better world are going to Aruba to do research of this regulation.

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Myrthe, Milla, Sybrand, Frank and Lisa are students from Windesheim Honours College (WHC), part of Windesheim University of Applied Sciences. This semester, they all are in the minor of Managing Projects in a Globalised World. From this minor, they got to choose several projects that interest them. One of them was working to do research in Aruba to see if the regulation would be visible or not since by 2020 the full ban on single-used plastic would be totally affected in Aruba. Their client for this project is University of Aruba. For some of them, choosing this project was an easy decision.

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“I chose this project because in my future career I want to focus on sustainability. One of my main interests in the topic of sustainability is the plastic problem in the world. This project was the only project which would contribute to my interest in plastics, so it was an easy decision for me.” – Lisa

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As all five students are interested in business and sustainability, this project gives them both experience that they think it will benefit them in future.

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“As this project is more focused on circular economy and plastic ban laws rather than sustainability in general, I thought that I could improve my skills and knowledge more in-depth rather than in general terms. Therefore, I hope that by doing this project I will develop new skills that I can use in my future career.” – Sybrand

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Besides business and sustainability, the 5 students also believe that they can make an impact with what they are doing. The semester where students at WHC will choose the minor of Managing Projects in a Globalised World require them to also go abroad, far away from their family and friends. The possibility from the minor that they can work on projects to make an impact for a better world is something that also motivated them to choose this project.

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“First of all, I chose this project because I like working with businesses. Furthermore, Aruba mostly consists of import and is completely dependent on tourism. This makes the whole single use plastic ban so interesting for me. The impact you can have by removing these plastics from the island is going to be huge.” – Frank

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WHC is one of educational institutes where they cooperate with United Nations' program of Sustainable Development Goals or better known as SDG. This program is an urgent invitation for developed and developing countries to combat poverty, protect the earth and ensure that all people live in peace and prosperity. The program consists of 17 goals that every country should act and the goal to be set by 2030 we all have achieved the goals. That’s why learning program that WHC offer is mostly focus on creating a more sustainable world.

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