Page 36 - Plastics News April 2017

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Australian draft plan aims to reduce marine debris

he Australian Government has issued a draft threat and resource recovery could minimize the volume of debris
Tabatement plan with strategies to reduce marine entering the ocean. It said "Plastic Free July," an initiative
debris.The plan specifically targets plastic litter. It said developed by Western Metropolitan Regional Council in
marine debris, particularly plastic, is harmful to marine Perth, Western Australia, was an example of “effective
wildlife, with impacts caused through entanglement, community-based action aimed at raising awareness of
ingestion and contamination. The draft threat abatement issues associated with single-use disposable plastic.“ The
plan for the impacts of marine debris on vertebrate marine initiative encourages the public to refuse single-use plastic
species follows an Australian Senate inquiry on the threat every July, focusing on plastic bags, bottles, takeaway
of marine plastic pollution in coffee cups and straws.
Australia, which released a report,
Toxic tide: the threat of marine Bag ban roundup: Considered in
plastic, in April 2016.
The draft plan said marine debris Vermont and barred in Iowa
impacts have been documented lastic bags continue to be a focus for state legislatures
for seabirds, marine turtles, Pthis year, but actions taken diverge dramatically.
cetaceans, sharks and other Recent movement includes one state aiming to ban
Australian marine wildlife, including many species listed plastic bag use, as another prohibits that possibility
as threatened. altogether. Lawmakers in

The Federal Government has sought public comment on Iowa have banned local
the draft plan and will then release a final plan. governments from enacting
The draft contains six major objectives. It aims to: prohibitions on single-
use plastic bags. The Des
• Contribute to the long-term prevention of the Moines Register reports
incidence of marine debris. the measure was included
• Identify key species, ecological communities, in a wider legislative effort to limit local control over
ecosystems and locations impacted by marine debris certain issues, and it was signed into law by the state’s
for priority action. governor late last month. Iowa is the eighth state to
• Conduct research to understand and mitigate the enact a state preemption on local bag bans, according
impacts of microplastic and plastic debris on marine to the newspaper. But as Iowa clamps down on bag
species and ecological communities. restrictions, Vermont continues discussing the opposite
• Remove existing marine debris. tactic. H. 105 would prohibit retail locations around the
• Monitor the quantities, origins, types and hazardous Green Mountain State from providing single-use carryout
chemical contaminants of marine debris, and assess bags made of paper or plastic unless they meet certain
the effectiveness of management arrangements over standards of recycled content and recyclability. Retailers
time for reducing marine debris. would be allowed to provide reusable or compostable
bags to customers, and definitions of both attributes are
• Increase public understanding of the causes
and impacts of harmful marine debris, including included in the bill’s language. The other bag bill, H. 88,
microplastic and hazardous chemical contaminants, would charge consumers 10 cents per disposable bag at
to generate behavior change. all retail establishments. The money would be deposited
The draft, developed by the Department of the into the state’s general fund. The Burlington Free Press
Environment and Energy, said a 2016 systematic review recently profiled both legislative efforts, reporting they
of ecological impacts of marine debris found 82 percent were spurred by plastic bags contaminating the recycling
was plastic. The plan said domestic policies on materials, stream. Many single-use bags can be returned for recycling
supply chains, product stewardship, waste management at grocery stores, but residents still end up trying to
recycle them in the curbside system.

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