Page 42 - Plastics News August 2019

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

City of London Corporation to Portugal plastic ban from 2020

eradicate unnecessary plastic waste
ortugal’s parliament has voted unanimously to
he City of London Corporation has approved plans Papprove legislation to end the use of plastic bags
Tto eradicate unnecessary single-use plastic waste at and trays for bread, fruit and vegetables and the sale
Guildhall and The Mansion House by Spring 2020, and the of disposable plastic crockery. There will be a ban
entire organisation by 2021.The authority will bring in on plastic bags, cutlery and trays for bread, fruit and
new staff procurement rules vegetables from 2020 across the country. In the last
and work with its contactors plenary session of the current parliament, all parties
to roll out the policy across voted in favour of a bill tabled by the Greens that
its supply chain, in a bid to applies to “all commercial establishments that sell
reduce its environmental EUHDG YHJHWDEOHV DQG IUXLWVµ 8QGHU WKH OHJLVODWLRQ
impact. Unnecessary multi- from next year it will be forbidden to make available
use plastic waste - like the transparent plastic bags currently common in fruit
plastic folders and wrapping and vegetable sections, as well as the disposable trays,
- will also be eliminated, ´XVXDOO\ ZUDSSHG LQ SODVWLF RU H[SDQGHG SRO\VW\UHQHµ
and other non-plastic for those products.Deputies also unanimously adopted
products such as paper a bill that combines initiatives by the Greens, Left Bloc,
towels, will be minimised. The City Corporation is a People-Animals-Nature and Communist Party, all of which
major public services provider in the capital. It manages are intended to prohibit the sale or use of disposable
a wide portfolio including social housing across six London plastic crockery and cutlery in the restaurant trade,
boroughs, 10 high-achieving academies, three wholesale
markets and 11,000 acres of green space including shops and at public events. Parliament has approved a
Hampstead Heath and Epping Forest. It is also an investor bill to ban all ‘light plastic bags’ used for the purposes
in properties and other corporate buildings. The City of selling fruit, vegetables and bread. The bill, proposed
Corporation is also leading the Plastic Free City initiative by the Greens and backed unanimously, also seeks to
– a rallying call to businesses and individuals to reduce and outlaw disposable styrofoam packing. Say reports, these
eliminate single-use plastics across the Square Mile. 67
City businesses and organisations together employing over
73,000 people have so far joined the City Corporation’s
campaign. 149 City pubs, bars, cafes and restaurants
KDYH DOVR EHFRPH SDUW RI D QHWZRUN RI ZDWHU ERWWOH UHÀOO
VWDWLRQV ZKHUH WKH SXEOLF FDQ UHÀOO UHXVDEOH ZDWHU ERWWOHV
² DOO IRXQG RQ WKH 5HÀOO DSS $V SDUW RI WKH VFKHPH WKH &LW\
&RUSRUDWLRQ LV LQVWDOOLQJ QHZ ZDWHU UHÀOO SRLQWV DFURVV
the Square Mile this year, taking the total to 17. In the
ODVW PRQWKV VL[ RI LWV H[LVWLQJ UHÀOO SRLQWV KDYH LVVXHG
over 60 cubic meters of water - equivalent to more than
120,000 plastic bottles.Jeremy Simons, Chair of the City of
London Corporation’s Environmental Services Committee,
VDLG ´:H DUH FRQWLQXLQJ WR ÀJKW EDFN DJDLQVW SODVWLF single-use plastics will be taken out of use by June 2020
waste and demonstrating our own ongoing commitment as long as the environmental commission gives its go-
to reducing our impact on the environment. “And the DKHDG 6WRUHV DQG VWDOOKROGHUV ZLOO KDYH WR ÀQG ´PRUH
support for our campaign continues to go from strength VXVWDLQDEOH PDWHULDOVµ 7KH JOREDO ZDU DJDLQVW VLQJOH
to strength, with more City workers making their stand use plastics has seen the Portuguese government say it
to turn the tide on what is a global crisis.“By working means to pre-empt European targets for eliminating the
together, we can all play our part in reducing the use of sale of plastic plates, straws, coffee stirrers, cups and
unnecessary plastic - shaping the environmental legacy cotton buds by as much as 12 months.
ZH ZDQW WR OHDYH EHKLQG µ

44
Plastics News August 2019 42