Wera Hobhouse had a piece published on Politics Home yesterday on banning the export of plastics.
It goes without saying that the wealthiest countries, like us, who have the privilege of the means to be able to sustainably deal with waste, need to accept responsibility instead of shipping plastic waste around the world for poorer countries to deal with.
This begins with increasing and developing our recycling facilities. If we cannot recycle it, we shouldn’t be using it.
In the article, Wera also discusses the Plastic Pollution Bill, presented to Parliament in February by Lib Dem MP Alistair Carmichael. It sets out to
- ensure that by 2042 no plastic which is not capable of being recycled is
produced or used - eliminate the use of non-essential plastics by 2025; and
- progressively reduce plastic pollution.
Just as Lib Dems led on the 5p plastic bag charge, we are leading the fight against plastic pollution and fighting for measures to protect our environment.
Wera wrote her article to commemorate World Ocean’s Day. You can read the piece in full here.
* Kirsten Johnson was the PPC for Oxford East in the 2017 General Election. She is a pianist and composer at www.kirstenjohnsonpiano.com.
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2 Comments
This is absolutely essential. However it needs to be part of a move towards a consideration of how we move rapidly towards a sustainable society. This should start with the way in which we can create a society in which all can be involved in decision making.
My worry is that this is impossible. Cheap disposable plastics are at the moment part of our system of selling cheap food. Yet many in our country cannot even afford that. We have to deal with the many obvious problems in our society to move towards a future where mankind can actually manage our planet.
Recyclable or not, most plastic is oil derived and so contributes to climate change. We should be aiming to abolish all fossil fuel derived plastic as soon as possible. A significant tax on non-essential single use plastic would be a good start. Packaging should be minimal, made from recycled materials and biodegradable within six months. Producers must be responsible for disposing of their plastic with clearly laid out paths for collection and disposal clearly displayed on it or the product with hefty fines for not doing so.