Page 35 - Plastics News October 2020

US officials lay out Basel impact for Plastic Scotland to ban single-use Plastics
exporters
xperts with the Environmental Protection Agency
Ein the United States (U.S. EPA) say there are a
number of potential outcomes from upcoming shifts in
global rules governing scrap plastic shipments. Under
one possibility, trade in scrap plastic will no longer be
allowed between the U.S. and most other countries.
The EPA's Sustainable Materials Management Web
Academy recently
hosted a discussion
covering changes to
the Basel Convention
that will impact the
global scrap plastics
t r a d e . F o r m a l l y
titled the Basel
Convention on the
C o n t r o l o f
Tr a n s b o u n d a r y
Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal,
the global pact governs how shipments of certain types
of hazardous waste are regulated between nations.
The agreement includes nearly 190 governments as
“party” countries. However, this category does not
include the U.S., which has signed but not ratified the
agreement. As the Basel plastic amendment
implementation draws near, a separate process
determining how the regulations will be applied
between “developed” countries is playing out. Rick
Picardi, chief of the international branch of the EPA's
Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery,
discussed details in this realm. Picardi said, “I think
different countries within the OECD are going to apply
different controls to the plastic scrap. So there's quite
a bit of uncertainty about what requirements the OECD
countries are going to apply.” In May 2019 the Basel
parties required that exports of most scrap plastic be
subject to prior notice and consent requirements,
rules that kick in on Jan. 1, 2021. The EPA discussion
aimed to give exporters an idea of what to expect in
the months to come.
October 2020 35
he UK Government has decided to double the price of
Tsingle-use plastic carrier bags to 10p from April next
year. The decision will also be extended to all retailers in
England and follows a public consultation that received
positive response from the majority of respondents. The
move is part of the government's efforts to prevent plastic
waste from polluting the ocean and environment. The
Single Use Carrier Bags Charges (England) Order 2015,
which came into force in October the same year, currently
requires businesses selling goods with over 250 employees
to charge a minimum of 5p for single-use carrier bags. All
retailers in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland,
including smaller shops already charge a minimum of 5p
for plastic bags. However, the regulation does not cover
micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) Whilst
these regulations have been effective, reducing the use of
single-use carrier bags by over 95% in the main
supermarkets and raising over £180m for good causes,
many single-use carrier bags are still supplied by MSMEs.
Environment Secretary George Eustice said: “We have all
seen the devastating impact plastic bags have on the
oceans and on precious marine wildlife, which is why we
are taking bold and
ambitious action to
tackle this issue head
on. “The UK is already
a world-leader in this
global effort, and our
carrier bag charge has
b e e n h u g e l y
successful in taking
billions of harmful
plastic bags out of
circulation. But we
want to go further by
extending this to all
retailers so we can
c o n t i n u e t o c u t
unnecessary waste
and build back greener. “I hope our pioneering track
record on single-use plastics will inspire many more
countries to follow suit, so we can take on plastic waste
together and implement lasting change. The UK has
committed to make all plastic packaging on the market
being recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025. It also
plans to eliminate avoidable plastic waste by 2042.” In
July this year, the Government of Wales enhanced its
sustainability commitment as it plans to ban single use
plastic including straws, stirrers, cotton buds, balloon
sticks, plates, cutlery, food and drinks containers made of
expanded polystyrene; and products made from oxo-
degradable plastic.
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