Page 47 - Plastics News December2018

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Germany unveils 5-point plan to reduce plastic waste

ermany has introduced are thought to account for 90 percent of the plastic
Ga five-point plan to waste in the world's seas. The ministry said, in many
combat plastic waste, in a instances, plastic packaging, such as for loose fruits
bid to make the country less and vegetables, can be replaced with an adhesive
of a “throwaway society.” The label. Other alternatives, such as increasing the
Environment Minister Svenja availability of drinkable tap water and doing away
Schulze announced a plan with microplastics in cosmetics by 2020, were also
designed to tackle levels of proposed.
plastic waste in Germany and The ministry also called single-use plastic, such as cutlery
beyond.
and straws, a "global issue" and would support a European-
The plan includes reducing excess plastic products and wide ban on such plastic items. Schulze pointed to the
packaging, making packaging and other products more success of similar recent legislation banning single-use
environmentally friendly, using more recycled materials plastic shopping bags from many stores. Germans use
and reducing the amount of plastics in biowaste. The around 70 bags per person each year. That's one reason
Environment Ministry also called for more international why the government has opted against implementing a
commitment to reduce sea garbage and to find more law to reduce plastic use. Environment Minister Hendricks
sustainable uses of plastic. "With these measures, we are said instead the ministry would monitor progress very
reversing the trend in the use of plastics," Schulze said closely to see "how well the agreement with retailers is
in a statement. "We produce far too much plastic in our implemented."
consumer and throwaway society.
The ministry's proposal advocates the following five steps
to drastically reduce plastic waste:
a) Avoiding unnecessary products and packaging: Schulze
gave the example of a banana, which "comes with its
own biodegradable packaging, namely a banana skin.
That will have to suffice in future."

b) Making packaging and other products more
environmentally friendly: Companies will be
encouraged to do this via new licensing rules, with
less environmentally friendly packaging incurring
larger fees.

c) More recycling, more recycling stations: The
government aims to increase its plastic recycling
targets from 36 percent of total waste to 63 percent
by 2022.
d) Preventing plastics from getting into organic waste:
This would also improve the quality of compost.
People will be encouraged to take more care when
separating their trash, a common practice for years
in Germany.
e) International efforts to limit plastic waste at sea:
Increased German aid donations are foreseen to
this end, specifically to clean up the 10 rivers that

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51 December 2018 Plastics News