THE WORLDWIDE WAR ON PLASTIC

 France has passed a law banning all plastic plates, cups and utensils by 2020. replacements will be made from biologically sourced, fully compostable materials.

 the indian state of Karnataka banned the use of all plastic, including bags, plates, cups and clingfilm in 2016.  san Francisco banned plastic bags in 2007, followed by plastic water bottles on city properties in 2014.  single-use plastic bags are banned in italy, Brazil, china, Bangladesh, denmark, parts of australia and 20 Us states.  Belgium, Mexico, Germany and ireland tax retailers using single-use plastic bags or charge customers for them.

 at the beginning of this year, china refused to accept plastic waste from other countries for recycling, leading to concerns that the UK’s current recycling system won’t be able to cope with the amount of plastic waste we produce. instead, more could be sent to landfill or incinerated.

 Frozen food chain iceland has vowed to remove all plastic from its own-brand products within five years.

 Waitrose has announced it will stop selling plastic straws by september. the supermarket has reduced its packaging by almost 50% since 2009 and 80% of its packaging is widely recyclable.

 Unilever has committed to making all its plastic packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025.  Mcdonald’s has pledged that 100% of its packaging will come from recycled sources by 2025.