Tag: single-use
Single-Use Plastic Production Rose Between 2019 and 2021 Despite Pledges
Exxon Mobil was at the top of the list of global petrochemical companies producing virgin polymers used in single-use plastics, followed by China’s Sinopec. Sinopec also leads the way when it comes to building new production facilities over the 2019-2027 period, the report said, with more than 5 million tons of annual capacity planned. Exxon Mobil was second with around 4 million tons. […] Around 137 million tons of single-use plastics were produced from fossil fuels in 2021, and it is expected to rise by another 17 million tons by 2027, the researchers said.
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England bans the sale of single-use plastics
England has good news for the environment and terrible news for whoever has to do the dishes after a child’s birthday party.
A range of single-use plastics including plates, trays, bowls, cutlery, balloon sticks, and other polystyrene cups and food containers will be banned as of October 2023 in England, the Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey announced in a press release on Saturday.
“We have listened to the public and these new single-use plastics bans will continue our vital work to protect the environment for future generations,” Coffey said in a statement, adding that she is “proud” of the work she has already done to help the environment, including banning microbeads and restricting the use of plastic straws and stirrers.
England uses about 2.7 billion items of single-use cutlery and 721 million single-use plates every year but just one in ten are recycled, according to an estimate cited by the environment ministry. The amount of single-use plastics we use has tripled globally since the start of the pandemic, according to earthday.org. These kinds of plastics end up filling oceans, lakes, and rivers, piling up on land, and becoming major sources of greenhouse gas emissions.
“Plastic is a scourge which blights our streets and beautiful countryside and I am determined that we shift away from a single-use culture,” Environment Minister Rebecca Pow said in a statement. “By introducing a ban later this year we are doubling down on our commitment to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste.”
Scotland and Wales has passed similar legislation, and the United Nations is working on a global plastic pollution treaty. The U.S. plans to ban sale of single-use plastic on public lands and national parks by 2032, but the country has yet to pass any legislation banning single-use plastics similar to Englands.
England is banning the sale of some single-use plastics
England will ban businesses from selling and offering a variety of single-use plastics, including plates and cutlery, by the end of the year, the UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs announced on Saturday. The government will begin enforcing the legislation in October 2023. In addition to some plastics, the ban will cover single-use trays and certain types of polystyrene cups and food containers but will exempt plates, trays and bowls included with supermarket-ready meals; the government intends to target those through a separate plan that incentives manufacturers to meet higher recycling standards.
According to one estimate cited by the environment ministry, English consumers use about 2.7 billion items of single-use cutlery every year, and only about 10 percent of those are recycled. The department said 95 percent of people it consulted before today’s announcement were in favor of a ban. “We have listened to the public and these new single-use plastics bans will continue our vital work to protect the environment for future generations,” said Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey.
Per AFP, Scotland and Wales previously passed similar legislation. It’s also worth noting, England already restricts the sale of other single-use items, including straws and cotton swabs. Additionally, the environment ministry is considering measures that would target other “problematic plastic items.” Specifically, the government could also ban wet wipes and tobacco filters or mandate package labeling designed to show consumers how to dispose of those items correctly.
The ban on disposable plates and cutlery is part of a broader push by governments across the world to curb the production and use of single-use plastics. Last March, the United Nations began working on a first-ever global plastic pollution treaty. While the agreement won’t be complete until 2024 at the earliest, it could be among the most significant efforts to curb climate change since the Paris agreement in 2015.