Page 42 - Plastics News February 2020

internAtionAL news

First of three bills on banning Malaysia urged to cut down on

plastics in Colarado fails to clear plastic packaging for cleaner
first Senate committee seas

he first of three bills intended to change state law reen group WWF has
Taround plastics failed to win support from state Sen. Gurged the government
Angela Williams, D-Denver, who joined with the Senate of Malaysia to limit single-
Local Government Committee’s two Republicans to use plastics and work with
shoot down Senate companies to fund a recycling
Bill 10. The bill, push. An analysis of Asia’s
sponsored by Sen. worst ocean polluters shows
Kerry Donovan, Malaysians are the biggest
D-Vail, would individual consumers of
strike a state plastic packaging, Thomas
law, known as Schuldt, WWF’s coordinator of work on a plastic circular
preemption, that economy, said Malaysians consumed the most plastic
prohibits local because they were among the wealthiest. “There is lots
governments from of food delivery, which is plastic packaging-heavy - but
banning certain in addition, there are also a lot of day-to-day products
kinds of plastics in
their communities. Let Denver determine its own plastics bought in supermarkets.” The WWF report on plastics
future,” asked Denver City Council President Jolon Clark. looked at China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines,
Colorado cities and towns have gone around the law by Thailand and Vietnam - which contribute 60% of the
requiring retailers to charge a fee of 10 to 20 cents. estimated 8 million tonnes of plastic that enter the
That began with Aspen in 2011 and has grown to include world’s oceans each year.It focused on household
Avon, Boulder, Breckenridge, Carbondale, Crested Butte, consumption of plastic packaging - the plastic most
Durango, Nederland, Telluride and Vail. Denver will begin likely to end up in seas - and found that 27 million
the 10-cent-per-plastic bag fee on July 1. Donovan's bill tonnes were consumed across all six nations in 2016,
attempts keep the conversation about whether to ban the most recent year for which reliable data was
plastics — or allow them — within local communities and available.Globally the volume of plastic waste going
under Colorado's laws around local control. The times have into the ocean is set to quadruple between 2010 and
changed since the preemption statute was passed in 1993, 2050, meaning that the sea could contain more plastic
she told the Local Government Committee. "I have more by weight than fish by mid-century, the report noted.
faith in local communities," she said. "I'm convinced this Meanwhile, carbon emissions associated with plastic
is the right pathway forward" on the conversation around - from production to burning - reached 860 million
plastics. The bill drew an interesting mix of opposition. tonnes in 2019, greater than the annual emissions of
Denver City Councilwoman Kendra Black commented Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines combined, it
what’s good for Denver is not necessarily good for the added.Malaysia ranked highest among the six countries
rest of the state. According to the Colorado Department analysed in terms of annual per-capita plastic packaging
of Public Health and Environment, which oversees consumption, at about 16.8 kg per person, followed by
recycling in the state, the statute passed in 1993 is just
36 words that sealed our recent fate: “Local Government Thailand at 15.5 kg. “Despite the increasing scientific
Preemption. No unit of local government shall require understanding of the irreversible damage plastic can
or prohibit the use or sale of specific types of plastic cause to our environment and communities, plastic
materials or products or restrict or mandate containers, production is projected to dramatically increase in the
packaging, or labeling for any consumer products.” coming years,” said Greenpeace USA Senior Research
Specialist Ivy Schlegel, who authored the report."

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