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single-use plastic
More Than Two-Thirds of UN Members Embrace Global Plastic Pollution Treaty--But Not the US
"Support for a global treaty on plastic pollution is a critical action that the Biden administration can take to correct the wrongs of the Trump era."
Nov 15, 2020
Despite being one of the world's biggest contributors to plastic pollution, the U.S. has so far shown no signs of joining an international treaty aimed at stopping plastics from flowing into the world's oceans and other natural habitats--leaving the country in a small minority as more than two-thirds of United Nations member states signal that a treaty is forthcoming.
At a virtual conference attended last week by the U.N.'s working group on ocean pollution and microplastics, countries in Africa, the Pacific, the Baltic region, and throughout Europe confirmed that they are open to signing a treaty aimed at sharply reducing marine plastic pollution and potentially all plastic waste.
The U.S. was joined by the United Kingdom in declining to participate in the treaty, although the two countries are the biggest per capita plastic polluters in the world. British environmental minister Zac Goldsmith is expected to announce soon whether the country is open to a new treaty or to strengthening the existing international framework governing plastic pollution, while the Trump administration has indicated it is not open to a global treaty on plastics.
"Support for a global treaty on plastic pollution is a critical action that the Biden administration can take to correct the wrongs of the Trump era," Tim Grabiel, senior lawyer at the Environmental Investigations Agency (EIA), told The Guardian on Monday. "Over the last four years, we have continually encountered opposition from the Trump administration to truly address plastic pollution, slowing down progress and watering down international efforts. We are hopeful that, with a change in leadership at the top, the U.S. will join its allies and support a global treaty on plastic pollution at [the U.N. Environmental Assembly's 5th conference]."
The EIA has called for a legally binding global agreement including four pillars to combat plastic pollution from all sources. The group says any treaty ultimately agreed upon by U.N. countries must include:
- Monitoring and reporting on the state of plastic pollution and each nation's progress toward a "circular economy" in which plastic leakage into the environment is kept to a minimum
- Prevention of plastic waste through bans on single-use plastic products and restrictions on plastic production
- Coordination between existing anti-plastic pollution frameworks including the 2001 Stockholm Convention, under which countries agreed to limit or ban the use of certain toxic chemicals including some used in plastics, and the 1989 Basel Convention, which aimed to reduce hazardous waste production and the transboundary movement of such waste
- Technical and financial support for developing countries from wealthier countries
The U.N. Environmental Assembly concluded in 2017 that the Stockholm and Basel Conventions are "fragmented and ineffective" as they are currently implemented, according to The Guardian. The U.S. is only a party to the Basel Convention.
The assembly is currently expected to meet in Kenya in February 2021 for its fifth conference, or in 2022 if the summit is postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Even without the participation of the U.S. and U.K., the EIA called the commitment of a majority of U.N. countries to a new treaty "heartening."
"Maintaining the status quo is not only untenable, it would have catastrophic implications for planet Earth," Christina Dixon, senior ocean campaigner at EIA, told The Guardian.
Global plastic pollution efforts implemented so far are expected to reduce plastic pollution by just 7%, while the oceans are expected to be inundated with 29 million metric tons per year by 2040--triple the amount the currently flows into marine habitats annually.
As the U.N. working group was meeting last week, the World Wildlife Federation (WWF) circulated a petition--signed by two million people so far--calling for a global anti-plastic pollution treaty.
"We are drowning in plastic, but we can resurface," the WWF tweeted. "World leaders urgently need to vote for a U.N. treaty to tackle this crisis."
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Canada's Plan to Ban Single-Use Plastics Welcomed as 'Step in the Right Direction'
A Greenpeace campaigner said the country ultimately "needs to move towards phasing out all non-essential plastics" for sake of the planet
Jun 10, 2019
Environmental campaigners on Monday welcomed the Canadian government's new plan to ban certain single-use plastics as early as 2021 and work with provinces and territories to make corporations responsible for their plastic waste.
"Ultimately Canada needs to move towards phasing out all non-essential plastics if we are going to truly reduce the awful plastic legacy we are leaving for future generations of all life on this planet," Sarah King of Greenpeace Canada said in a statement. "The federal government's announcements marks the first step in an essential journey to break free from plastic."
Food & Water Watch executive director Wenonah Hauter, who also praised the plan in a statement, said that "bans on single-use plastics will help address the growing threat of microplastics in our food, water, and air--the health effects of which are unknown. They also send a powerful signal that the world does not welcome more climate-damaging fracked gas to create plastic."
Pointing to a Food & Water Watch report released last week that detailed how the petrochemical and other industries help drive fracking for natural gas, Hauter explained that "there is a symbiotic relationship between plastic manufacturing and the fracking industry. Any regulation that curbs one industry will help decrease pollution from the other."
A statement Monday from the office of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described widespread plastic pollution as "a global challenge that requires immediate action" and outlined the broad goals of the government's plan. Across Canada, people throw away more than 3 million tons of plastic waste per year, and about a third of all plastics are single-use items like straws and shopping bags.
"Canadians know first-hand the impacts of plastic pollution, and are tired of seeing their beaches, parks, streets, and shorelines littered with plastic waste," Trudeau said. "We have a responsibility to work with our partners to reduce plastic pollution, protect the environment, and create jobs and grow our economy. "We owe it to our kids to keep the environment clean and safe for generations to come."
Trudeau's government intends to work with political and business partners throughout the North American country to:
- ban harmful single-use plastics as early as 2021 (such as plastic bags, straws, cutlery, plates, and stir sticks) where supported by scientific evidence and warranted, and take other steps to reduce pollution from plastic products and packaging; and
- work with provinces and territories to introduce standards and targets for companies that manufacture plastic products or sell items with plastic packaging so they become responsible for their plastic waste.
The prime minister spoke about the plan in a speech Monday at the Gault Nature Reserve in Mont-Saint-Hilaire, outside Montreal. CBC reported:
Trudeau said the government will research the question of which items it should ban and follow the model chosen by the European Union, which voted in March to ban plastic items for which market alternatives exist--such as single-use plastic cutlery and plates--and items made of oxo-degradable plastics, such as bags. (Oxo-degradable plastics aren't really biodegradable; they contain additives that cause the plastic to fragment without breaking down chemically.)
Greenpeace Canada--noting that the government's statement mentioned a few specific single-use products that may be banned--called for phasing out all "problematic and unnecessary plastics," including PVC, bags, bottles, straws, utensils, expanded polystyrene, cups and lids, multilayered wrappers, and take-out containers.
"We know the science and real-world evidence is clear that single-use plastics and waste is toxic, infiltrating food chains and even the air we breathe," said King. "Acting now to ban the most problematic and unnecessary plastics while holding corporations accountable for the waste problem they have created can set us on a better course. But the government must act as quickly as possible so this announcement isn't a single-use election promise."
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EU One Step Closer to Ban on the Single-Use Plastics Choking Planet and Harming Human Health
"The European Parliament has made history by voting to reduce single-use plastics and slash plastic pollution in our rivers and ocean."
Oct 24, 2018
Environmentalists cautiously celebrated "a victory for our oceans, for the environment, and for future generations" on Wednesday as the European Parliament voted overwhelmingly in favor of a proposal to outlaw the most common single-use plastic products across Europe.
"The European Parliament has made history by voting to reduce single-use plastics and slash plastic pollution in our rivers and ocean," responded Justine Maillot of Surfrider Foundation Europe, on behalf of Rethink Plastic, a coalition of environmental groups on the continent.
"Citizens across Europe want to see an end to plastic pollution," Maillot added. "It's now up to national governments to keep the ambition high, and resist corporate pressure to continue a throwaway culture."
MEPs voted 571-53--with 34 abstentions--to advance the proposal initially introduced in May. As BBC News reports, "The measure still has to clear some procedural hurdles, but is expected to go through." Negotiations among representatives from national governments, the European Parliament, and the European Commission to finalize the law could begin as early as November.
While campaigners have raised alarm about potential loopholes as well as covert lobbying by Coca-Cola, Nestle, PepsiCo, and Danone, they welcomed the widespread support for the measure, which would ban single-use plastic cotton buds, straws, plates and cutlery, beverage stirrers, balloon sticks, oxo-degradable plastics, and expanded polystyrene food containers and cups across the EU by 2021.
Although the ban, unfortunately, will not extend to very light-weight single-use plastic bags, Greenpeace EU chemicals policy director Kevin Stairs said that with Wednesday's vote, "we're one step closer to protecting people and wildlife from the plastic that's choking our rivers and seas, turning up everywhere, from the Antarctic Ocean to the salt on our tables."
Appearing on euronews ahead of the vote, Stairs discussed the threat that plastics pose not only to the world's waterways, but also human health. Earlier this week, a pilot study found, for the first time in documented history, microplastics in human waste.
Philipp Schwabl, who conducted the human stool study, presented his findings--which have not yet been peer reviewed or published--at a conference in Vienna on Tuesday and hopes to expand his research, according to National Geographic. Recent studies have increasingly heightened concerns about the impact of plastics on the planet and all species that inhabit it.
Plastic pollution has become "one of our planet's greatest environmental challenges," declared a United Nations report released in June. "Our oceans have been used as a dumping ground, choking marine life and transforming some marine areas into a plastic soup. In cities around the world, plastic waste clogsdrains, causing floods and breeding disease. Consumed by livestock, it also finds its way into the food chain."
In addition to banning some of the most common single-use plastics, which make up more than 70 percent of marine litter, the EU measure also aims to set national reduction targets for non-banned plastics, cigarette butts, and lost or abandoned fishing gear.
"Today's vote paves the way to a forthcoming and ambitious directive," said MEP Frederique Ries, the Belgian politican who drafted the approved EU plans. "It is essential in order to protect the marine environment and reduce the costs of environmental damage attributed to plastic pollution in Europe, estimated at 22 billion euros by 2030."
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As Planet Chokes on Plastic Waste, UN Report Offers Roadmap to Tackle Global Crisis
The anaylsis comes amid warnings that plastic pollution has become "one of our planet's greatest environmental challenges."
Jun 05, 2018
In what's being called "hope for a better planet on #WorldEnvironmentDay," a United Nations report published Tuesday found "surging momentum in global efforts" to eradicate single-use plastics while also warning that poor enforcement is hindering regulations and bans worldwide.
"Our oceans have been used as a dumping ground, choking marine life and transforming some marine areas into a plastic soup. In cities around the world, plastic waste clogsdrains, causing floods and breeding disease. Consumed by livestock, it also finds its way into the food chain."
--Erik Solheim, UNEP
Single-Use Plastics: A Roadmap to Sustainability (pdf) details "what has worked well, what hasn't, and why" in terms of regulating plastic. The report was released by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) as part of a global effort on Tuesday to raise awareness about initiatives to #BeatPlasticPollution.
Plastic pollution has become "one of our planet's greatest environmental challenges," Erik Solheim, head of UNEP, wrote in the introduction of the report, the first comprehensive review of efforts in more than 60 countries to address the crisis.
"Our oceans have been used as a dumping ground, choking marine life and transforming some marine areas into a plastic soup," Solheim continued, detailing the scope of the issue. "In cities around the world, plastic waste clogsdrains, causing floods and breeding disease. Consumed by livestock, it also finds its way into the food chain."
Just last week, a pilot whale died just off the coast of Thailand. "A necropsy revealed that more than 17 pounds of plastic had clogged up the whale's stomach, making it impossible for it to ingest nutritional food. This waste was in the form of 80 shopping bags and other plastic debris," reported National Geographic.
"Governments need to improve waste management practices and introduce financial incentives to change the habits of consumers, retailers, and manufacturers, enacting strong policies that push for a more circular model of design and production of plastics," the report states. "They must finance more research and development of alternative materials, raise awareness among consumers, fund innovation, ensure plastic products are properly labeled, and carefully weigh possible solutions to the current crisis."
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a call to action on Tuesday, noting that "microplastics in the seas now outnumber stars in our galaxy," and warning that "if present trends continue, by 2050 our oceans will have more plastic than fish."
Pointing to the example that "plastic bag bans, if properly planned and enforced, can effectively counter one of the causes of plastic overuse," the report features a 10-step roadmap for governments to improve current measures and implement new ones:
Target the most problematic single-use plastics by conducting a baseline assessment to identify the most problematic single-use plastics, as well as the current causes, extent and impacts of their mismanagement.
Consider the best actions to tackle the problem (e.g. through regulatory, economic, awareness, voluntary actions), given the country's socio-economic standing and considering their appropriateness in addressing the specific problems identified.
Assess the potential social, economic, and environmental impacts (positive and negative) of the preferred short-listed instruments/actions. How will the poor be affected? What impact will the preferred course of action have on different sectors and industries?
Identify and engage key stakeholder groups--retailers, consumers, industry representatives, local government, manufacturers, civil society, environmental groups, tourism associations--to ensure broad buy-in. Evidence-based studies are also necessary to defeat opposition from the plastics industry.
Raise public awareness about the harm caused by single-usedplastics. Clearly explain the decision and any punitive measuresthat will follow.
Promote alternatives. Before the ban or levy comes into force,assess the availability of alternatives. Ensure that the pre-conditions for their uptake in the market are in place. Provide economic incentives to encourage the uptake of eco-friendlyand fit-for-purpose alternatives that do not cause more harm.Support can include tax rebates, research and development funds, technology incubation, public-private partnerships, and support to projects that recycle single-use items and turn waste into a resource that can be used again. Reduce or abolish taxes on the import of materials used to make alternatives.
Provide incentives to industry by introducing tax rebates or other conditions to support its transition. Governments will face resistance from the plastics industry, including importers and distributors of plastic packaging. Give them time to adapt.
Use revenues collected from taxes or levies on single-use plastics to maximize the public good. Support environmental projectsor boost local recycling with the funds. Create jobs in the plasticrecycling sector with seed funding.
Enforce the measure chosen effectively, by making sure that there is clear allocation of roles and responsibilities.
Monitor and adjust the chosen measure if necessary and update the public on progress.
The U.N. report was developed in cooperation with the Indian government and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. It was unveiled in New Delhi by Solheim and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alongside an announcement by the Indian government that the nation will work to completely eliminate single-use plastic by 2022.
It also comes as the European Union is considering a ban on 10 single-use plastics that, in addition to fishing gear, account for about 70 percent of marine pollution across Europe. Although campaigners welcomed the proposal as a step in the right direction, they maintain that it does not go far enough to address the issue.
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