Page 40 - Plastics News August 2018

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

New Zealand to ban single-use Vietnam, Malaysia limit plastic

plastic bags scrap imports

ingle-use plastic shopping ietnam and Malaysia have tightened rules for
Sbags are to be phased out Vimporting plastic scrap as they struggle to deal with
over the next year in New D ODUJH LQÁX[ RI PDWHULDOV WKHUH LQ WKH ZDNH &KLQD V
Zealand , as the Government ban. Vietnam will stop issuing new licences for the
plans to crack down on the import of waste and crack down on illegal shipments
environmental villain. Prime as thousands of containers of paper, plastic and metal
minister Jacinda Ardern
and associate environment VFUDS EXLOG XS DW WKH FRXQWU\ V SRUWV UDLVLQJ FRQFHUQV
minister Eugenie Sage made DERXW WKH HQYLURQPHQW :DVWH LPSRUWV LQWR 9LHWQDP
the announcement at Lyall and other South-east Asian countries have risen
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%D\ :HOOLQJWRQ (YHU\ \HDU LQ 1HZ =HDODQG ZH XVH
hundreds of millions of single-use plastic bags – a mountain the entry of several types of solid wastes from the
of bags, many of which end up polluting our precious EHJLQQLQJ RI WKLV \HDU DFFRUGLQJ WR 9LHWQDP V 0LQLVWU\
coastal and marine environments and cause serious harm of Natural Resources and Environment.The authorities
WR DOO NLQGV RI PDULQH OLIH $UGHUQ VDLG :H UH SKDVLQJ need to "prevent waste from entering Vietnam to keep
out single-use plastic bags so we can better look after our the country from becoming a dumping site, affecting
HQYLURQPHQW DQG VDIHJXDUG 1HZ =HDODQG V FOHDQ JUHHQ WKH HQYLURQPHQW DQG SHRSOH V OLYHV WKH JRYHUQPHQW
reputation." The PM said there were viable alternatives said in a statement The surge in waste imports has
for consumers and business. Last year, the Bags Not caused congestion at several Vietnam ports, with
campaign was launched by Stuff to bring awareness to around 6,000 containers now sitting at entry points
the problem and highlight public support behind action. WKDW QHHG WR EH KDQGOHG WKH PLQLVWU\ VDLG :DVWH
Ardern said plastic was the single biggest subject school processing is a supplemental source of raw materials
children wrote to her about, and this year 65,000 New IRU 9LHWQDP V SDSHU SODVWLF DQG VWHHO LQGXVWULHV
Zealanders signed a petition calling for an outright ban on 0DOD\VLD V JRYHUQPHQW DOVR UHYRNHG WKH LPSRUW SHUPLWV
bags. Refusing to change would have meant there could of 114 factories that process plastic waste, following
EH PRUH SODVWLF LQ WKH RFHDQV E\ ZHLJKW WKDQ ÀVK E\ WKH local media reports of increased pollution in areas
year 2050, Ardern said.
The Government has released a consultation document to
work out exactly what types of bags could be captured
by the ban. The Packaging Forum, an industry group with
a focus on recycling said a ban would set a level playing
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million bags out of circulation. Soft Plastics Recycling
Scheme manager Lyn Mayes said the primary goal of the
forum was to reduce the amount of plastic packaging used.
Mayes says the Packaging Forum supports the inclusion of
compostable and degradable plastics in the proposal. "New
Zealand does not yet have a standard for compostable where the factories operated. Malaysian Housing
packaging, nor does the current infrastructure take most and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin
of these products in the volumes presented, which means said the factories affected will have three months to
WKH\ ZLOO PRVWO\ HQG XS LQ D ODQGÀOO 5HWDLOHUV VXFK DV bring their operations up to speed with international
&RXQWGRZQ 1HZ :RUOG DQG PRVW UHFHQWO\ 0LWUH DQG environmental standards before they can reapply
Z Energy - have already announced plans to phase out for the permits, according to a report by national
the bags. newswire Bernama.

Plastics News August 2018 40