Page 40 - Plastics News September 2019

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Germany to ban single use plastic UK’s Iceland recycles 1 million
drafts bill Plastic bottles

he German Environment Ministry has drafted a bill K’s Supermarket chain Iceland’s reverse vending
Twhich would ban single-use plastic bags.Environment Umachine trial has seen one million plastic bottles
Minister Svenja Schulze announced last week that she recycled since its introduction in select stores in
plans for the bill to become law in 2020. "I believe that May 2018. As part of the pilot, the retailer received
we have the support of extremely positive feedback from more than 95% of
the people of Germany," shoppers asking it to extend the scheme further. The
she said. "The time company initially introduced the trial in Fulham, Mold,
is right for a plastic 0XVVHOEXUJK DQG :ROYHUKDPSWRQ IROORZHG E\ %HOIDVW LQ
bag ban."The Social -DQXDU\ ,W DOVR FORVHG WKH WULDO DW 7KH )RRG :DUHKRXVH
Democrat politican LQ :ROYHUKDPSWRQ DQG LQVWHDG LQVWDOOHG D QHZ PDFKLQH
says that businesses at a store in Merrion Centre, Leeds, in July. According to
that violate the new the company, two-thirds of customers used the machine
regulation could face at least once in 15 days, and 75% of customers would
a fine of €100,000 support the introduction of 20p deposits on plastic
($110,000).Should the ERWWOHV ,FHODQG PDQDJLQJ GLUHFWRU 5LFKDUG :DONHU VDLG
bill become law, there will be a six-month "transition “The results from our reverse vending machine trials
period" which will be spent "distributing the remaining highlight the growing demand from consumers to have
stock of plastic bags" and using up the "remaining stock." a deposit return scheme introduced across the UK.
The ban will also include recycled and ecologically
produced plastic bags.Schulze said the goal was to "get ´,FHODQG ZDV WKH ÀUVW UHWDLOHU WR WULDO UHYHUVH YHQGLQJ
machines and we believe the customer feedback we
out of the throwaway society and that overall, we use have received shows that our simple model of accepting
less plastic." An agreement reached with businesses in all sizes of plastic drinks bottles – and extending this
2016 has already been successful in reducing plastic to include drinks cans – is the only sensible way to roll
bag consumption. At many stores, consumers must now
pay for plastic bags.According the Environment Ministry, RXW D GHSRVLW UHWXUQ VFKHPH QDWLRQDOO\ ´:H KDYH PRUH
there has been a 64% decline in plastic bag use since than 950 stores across the UK and with the support of
2015.Plastic bags account for only 1% of packaged plastic
consumption. The bill will not include thin plastic bags
used for fruit and vegetables, with Schulze pointing out
that this could lead to even more waste. Annegret Kramp-
Karrenbauer, the head of the ruling Christian Democrats
(CDU) and expected successor to Chancellor Angela
Merkel, said in August that she preferred to start with
voluntary reductions in plastic bag usage. "If that does
not work, then we can talk about prohibitions," she said.
Earlier Kramp-Karrenbauer had suggested of introducing
environmental policies "with innovation, with optimism."
She also proposed an incentive for scrapping oil heating
and writing sustainable development into Germany's WKH JRYHUQPHQW ZH FRXOG ÀW D UHYHUVH YHQGLQJ PDFKLQH
FRQVWLWXWLRQ 7KH &'8 H[SHFWV WR ÀQDOL]H LWV QHZ FOLPDWH LQ HYHU\ RQH RI RXU VWRUHV :LWK RYHU RQH PLOOLRQ
protection policy and plan to meet Germany's 2030 climate ERWWOHV UHWXUQHG WR MXVW ÀYH RI RXU VWRUHV WKH SRVLWLYH
goals in September.The proposal to ban plastic bags comes environmental impact of having machines across the
as the Social Democrats and CDU have shed support to the UK would be phenomenal.” In July, Iceland announced
Green party, with environmental and climate concerns a pilot to completely remove plastic bags from its store
increasingly moving to the fore in public opinion. in Hackney, London.

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