Plastic Packaging Ban Petition Discussed in Parliament
Wednesday, June 26, 2019 - 13:06:26
After a quarter of a million people signed a petition arguing that any packaging which is non-recyclable should be outlawed in the UK, politicians in Westminster were obliged to discuss it in the House of Commons this week.
This reflects the growing public support for serious efforts to drive down the proliferation of all single-use plastics, especially those which are entirely impossible to recycle using current methods.
In the debate, it was pointed out that this is not just an issue that affects the environment in the UK: it is also one which ends up causing complications in other parts of the world when waste products are exported for overseas processing rather than being handled domestically.
The petition claims that it would be sensible to do away with a wide variety of packaging which is currently incredibly commonplace yet cannot be recycled. From crisp packets to the plastic bags which sit within the cardboard boxes of breakfast cereals, there are all sorts of unrecyclable single-use packaging that have come under fire in recent times.
Environment Minister Daniel Zeichner said that people across the UK have tuned into the crisis that is facing the planet’s delicate ecosystem at the moment, with unrecyclable materials being targeted for the serious problems they create.
He said that some efforts were already being made to do away with plastic packaging, citing the launch of a service by Waitrose this year which allows customers to re-fill reusable containers rather than taking home any kind of single-use packaging. Of course, there are costs associated with making this switch, and it will doubtlessly require the intervention of legislative changes in order to force manufacturers to become more sustainable, rather than relying on consumers to make this decision and voting with their wallets.
Latest News
Wednesday, May 13, 2020 - 10:32:41
Every industry around the world has been impacted by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and recycling has been especially affected as a result of force [...]
Read More
Wednesday, May 6, 2020 - 21:33:36
Apple has pulled back the curtains on the all-new iPhone SE, bringing with it a raft of eco-friendly design features which aim to improve the green cr [...]
Read More
Wednesday, April 29, 2020 - 21:32:00
Researchers from New Zealand have demonstrated a new recycling solution which could help companies to reclaim rare materials from smartphones, PCs and [...]
Read More