Glass bottles ban during Carnival, Cabinet approves regulation 

Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago: The Cabinet has passed a regulation to ban the use of glass bottles during the Carnival events on Monday and Tuesday to ensure the safety and security of the people during festivities. 

The regulation titled, ‘The Carnival (Prohibition of Glass Bottles) Regulation’, was considered and approved by the Cabinet last week. 

Under this provision, no person will allowed to carry a glass bottle around the premises of the Carnival areas, and it restricts everyone from serving or drinking beverages from these bottles. 

“Under the regulation, no person other than an authorised person will be allowed to have a glass bottle in or within the vicinity of a Carnival event in any public place during the period of Carnival. It also prohibits anyone other than an authorised person from serving or consuming beverages from a glass bottle in or within the vicinity of a Carnival event in a public place”, the Cabinet added.

It is to be noted that an ‘authorised person’ under the regulation is recognised as, 

– Holder of the Liquor Licenses Act

– A person who has given a special event license which is issued to them under the Special Event Order, 2023, made pursuant to section 47C (2) of the Liquor Licences Act

– A vendor holding a food badge issued by the Ministry of Health 

– A server of a band, which will be registered under the Carnival Regulations, 2023

– A person who is an employee of Municipal Corporation, Trinidad and Tobago Solid Waste Management Company Limited (SWMCOL), the CEPEP Company Limited

According to the National Security Minister- Fitzgerald Hinds, glass bottles can be dangerous and can cause harm to the people and risk their safety. Due to this, they proposed the regulation in the Cabinet, and it is being approved and sanctioned. 

Further, the restriction of glass bottles came into force to avoid any kind of violence during the Carnival as many people consumed alcohol in such bottles, and carrying the bottles in crowded places would be harmful to them.

Notably, the same system was also introduced in 2020, and this year, this will extend to around 28 towns and communities across Trinidad and Tobago. 

The manufacturer company’s employees and distributors of the beverages are also allowed to carry the glass bottles, but they are advised to keep the bottles secured in a way that nobody else can access their bottles.

Nothing is implemented on the vendors, as they are allowed to carry the drinks in glass bottles, but they are prohibited from serving the drinks in glass bottles to any one of their customers. 

Moreover, the regulation states, “A person who contravenes sub-regulation (1) or (2) commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine of one thousand dollars ($1,000) and to imprisonment for six (6) months.
Where a person is found committing an offence under regulation 3, a police officer may, without proceeding to arrest that person, seize and take away any glass bottle which that person has with him.”