Now fight against tide of waste goes to UN
THE UN could begin a crackdown on plastic pollution of the world’s oceans as early as next week.
Britain, which has promised a series of radical measures to reduce the environmental harm caused by the menace, is expected to back the plan.
Environment Secretary Michael Gove is introducing legislation to ban the use of plastic microbeads in beauty and personal care products.
He has also set up a team to investigate adopting a deposit and return scheme for plastic bottles to tackle waste by increasing recycling.
In Scotland, the SNP Government has already given its backing to such a move – after a campaign by the Scottish Daily Mail.
Ships are prohibited from dumping plastic overboard but there is no international law against plastics flooding into the sea from the land.
Delegates preparing for the UN environment ministers’ meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, next week are setting up a working party to explore options for global action to tackle plastic waste.
The UN has committed to a substantial reduction of plastic waste by 2025 but a resolution led by Norway says the longterm aim must be for zero plastic waste.
The proposal suggests individual governments would be responsible for measuring plastic discharges into the sea and take their own measures to reduce and prevent these.
These could include controls on the use of plastics and improved recycling.
A source close to the talks in Kenya told the BBC delegates would consider questions such as whether there should ‘be a legally binding instrument prohibiting plastic from the land’.
Eirik Lindebjerg from the World Wide Fund for Nature said the meeting could prove a turning point in the crisis.