Plastic – a family of polymers that is cheap, lightweight, strong, durable and very versatile, making it a primary choice for a variety of applications – has for the exact become same reasons become an environmental burden and a human health concern.
Up to 14 million tons of plastic waste enter the ocean every year. It takes years….. to degrade!
Here are some updates – good news of positive actions, and ‘reality checks’ from the United Kingdom.
Some good news
As part of IUCN’s Plastic Waste Free Islands project which promotes circular economy actions to address plastic leakage from Small Island Developing States (SIDS), partner Searious Business is launching three zero plastic waste toolkits designed for hospitality, tour and cruise companies working in SIDS. These toolkits provide practical guidance on how to prevent plastic waste in the tourism sector, an industry vital to all SIDS in these regions and around the world. The toolkits may also play a part in aiding the drive for a green economic recovery following the Covid-19 pandemic.
In the United Kingdom
A petition by a nine-year-old schoolgirl calling on the Prime Minister Boris Johnson to stop shipments of plastic waste to developing countries has received more than 70,000 signatures in less than a week.
Lizzie A, who is studying plastic pollution in year 4, said she began the petition because sending Britain’s unsorted plastic waste to poorer nations is “unfair” and wrong. She took action last week after her mother, Esther, showed her a piece in the Guardian’s Seascape series, revealing the UK will continue to ship plastic waste to developing countries despite an EU ban on the practice from this month.
Part of Lizzies letter includes ‘perspective from whale’
( full article/ source- https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jan/20/plastic-petition-by-uk-nine-year-old-gains-over-70k-signatures-in-under-a-week )
TV presenter and naturalist Chris Packham says government is not keeping its Brexit green pledges on waste
