Through this report, I would like to share with you recent environmental laws, policies and smart moves by various governments in the UK and EU.

EU declares war on plastic waste

Brussels targets single-use plastics in an urgent clean-up plan that aims to make all packaging reusable or recyclable by 2030

The EU is waging war against plastic waste as part of an urgent plan to clean up Europe's act and ensure that every piece of packaging on the continent is reusable or recyclable by 2030.

Following China's decision to ban imports of foreign recyclable material, Brussels recently launched a plastics strategy designed to change minds in Europe, and modernise plastics production and collection by investing Euro 350m (£310m) in research.

Brussels' priority is to clamp down on 'single-use plastics that take five seconds to produce, it is used for five minutes and it takes 500 years to break down again. In the EU's sights are throw-away items such as drinking straws, 'lively coloured' bottles that do not degrade, coffee cups, lids and stirrers, cutlery and takeaway packaging.

It is a truth and a bitter fact that if we don't do anything about this, 50 years down the road we will have more plastic than fish in the oceans ... we have all the seen the images, whether you watch Blue Planet, whether you watch the beaches in Asian countries after storms.

If children knew what the effects are of using single-use plastic straws for drinking sodas, or whatever, they might reconsider and use paper straws or no straws at all. So environmental education is also must.

The EU wants 55% of all plastic to be recycled by 2030 and for member states to reduce the use of bags per person from 90 a year to 40 by 2026. An additional Euro 100m is being made available on top of current spending to research better designs, durability and recyclability and EU member states will be put under an obligation to 'monitor and reduce their marine litter'.  

The EU commission said it will promote easy access to tap water on the streets of Europe to reduce demand for bottled water, and they will provide member states with additional guidance on how to improve the sorting and collection of recyclable plastic by consumers.  

The EU's executive is also to propose new clearer labelling for plastic packaging so consumers are clear about their recyclability, and there are plans to ban the addition of microplastics to cosmetics and personal care products, a move that has already been taken by the UK government.  

New port reception facilities will seek to streamline waste management to ensure less gets dumped in the oceans under a directive already published.  

European Commission vice president is so right that 'More and more it is becoming a health problem because it is degrading, going to little chips, fish are eating it and it is coming back to our dinner table'

Every year, Europeans generate 25m tonnes of plastic waste, but less than 30% is collected for recycling. Across the world, plastics make up 85% of beach litter.

UK faces build-up of plastic waste with a Chinese ban on imports of plastic waste.

China has introduced the ban on 'Import of foreign garbage' from Jan 2018 as part of a move to upgrade its industries. The UK's recycling industry doesn't know how to cope with a Chinese ban on imports of plastic waste. Britain has been shipping up to 500,000 tonnes of plastic for recycling in China every year, but now the trade has been stopped since Jan 2018.  At the moment the UK cannot deal with much of that waste. This problem needs to be solved in the short term.

UK has been relying on China so long for its waste... 55% of paper, 25% plus of plastics. Other Asian nations will take some of the plastic, but there will still be a lot left. Any move towards burning more plastic waste, though, would be met with fierce resistance from environmental groups.

It's a challenge - but mostly in the short term. In the longer term UK needs a much more intelligent waste strategy for which UK government has made several announcements which I am sharing below.

UK vows to eliminate plastic waste by 2042

UK launched the government's environment plan for the next 25 years which aims to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste by 2042. Under this pledge, wastes such as plastic carrier bags, food packaging and disposable straws that litter the country and pollute the seas would be abolished.

The broader 25- year plan would also urge supermarkets to set up 'plastic-free-aisles' for goods with no packaging and confirm plans to extend the 5p charge for carrier bags to all English retailers. The UK government is polishing and shining its environmental credentials with its recent pledges on animal protection and plastic microbeads.

This will be seriously implemented and monitored like officials will work with supermarkets to encourage them to use plastic-free aisles in which all the food is loose (without packaging) allowing shoppers to make environmentally friendly choices.

Government will also encourage industry to take more responsibility towards the environmental impacts of their products and make them easier to recycle.

The UK PM will also task civil servants to look at how the tax system or charges could further reduce the amount of waste, while putting out a call for evidence on reducing the use of single-use plastics.

UK government has proved that  'A LITTLE LEVY IS THE RIGHT WAY TO CHANGE THE HABITUAL USE OF PLASTIC'

European parliament votes to end electric pulse fishing

The European Union's parliament has voted to prohibit the controversial practice of electrical pulse fishing within EU waters, to the approval of some groups of small-scale fishermen and green campaigners.

16^th Jan votes will still have to be discussed among member states, the European commission, and parliament before approval, so this decision is not yet final. However, the step is a landmark for activists who say pulse fishing is harmful.  

Pulse fishing uses electrodes attached to nets to send electrical signals close to the surface of the seabed, driving some fish to move into the nets. Proponents say it is efficient and avoids the damage of bottom trawling, by which the seabed is effectively ploughed in order to catch fish living there. Opponents say it is cruel and could cause pain to fish and damage to their habitats.  

The practice was banned in 1998, but in 2006 a derogation was allowed that has been exploited, especially by the Dutch fishing fleet. At least 84 Dutch vessels are licensed, along with a small number from other member states, including 12 in the UK. If the parliament's vote is upheld without loopholes, all would have to cease.  

Sweden has opened shopping mall just for recycled products

Sweden is stepping up its recycling game. A Swedish municipality has opened up what could be the world's very first shopping mall dedicated to recycled, reused, and repaired goods. The new mall, ReTuna Recycling Galleria, is in the city of Eskilstuna, Sweden. And it's a one-stop-shop for sustainable products. The mall boasts over a dozen different stores focusing on everything from reused household goods to refurbished electronics—as well a restaurant, educational center, conference center, and an exhibition.

Here's where Eskilstuna's upcycled shopping mall separates itself from a brick-and-mortar Etsy or a souped-up swap-meet: The Recycling Galleria also has a recycling depot incorporated right into the mall. Customers can drop off unwanted household goods for recycling. Staff from the municipality sorts the donations, and redistributes what can be reused, upcycled, and repaired to different stores in the mall. What can't be reused by the stores are sent off to a local recycling center for further reuse.

I like what the mall organisation says that 'Our idea is that the customer comes here and leaves, for example, some furniture and clothing they got tired of or have no use for anymore. Then you take a lap at the mall. Maybe you find a new jacket and a new frame for that photograph of your grandfather. Then you eat an organic lunch in our restaurant and gather strength to go for another lap around the mall where you find new flowers for the garden and a new lamp for the living room. When you leave here, you should feel that you did something good for the environment.'

The Recycling Galleria is a have-your-cake-and-eat-it-too approach to resource reduction. Traditional shopping malls are pretty much a Vegas buffet of mass consumerism where you can glut yourself on cheap crap, sale items, and Orange Julius smoothies. But when your local shopping mall is really a cleverly disguised recycling center, mall-goers still get to shop till they drop. They just get to do it sustainably, because they're reusing goods instead of buying brand new ones. And that, folks, is how you make buying stuff and conserving resources happy bedfellows.

The new mall is just one of a few steps the people of Sweden are taking to institutionalize reuse as an antidote to throwaway culture. This year, the Swedish government enacted a law that gives citizens a tax break, of sorts, on repairs. The law cut the Value Added Tax (or VAT) on the repair of bicycles, clothes, and shoes by half and made the labor cost of repairing appliances partially tax deductible.

Sweden rightly thinks that repair-friendly initiatives won't just help the environment—they will create jobs: 'Repairing your goods is quite labor intense as compared to production. So we believe if consumption behavior is altered, this can lead to a boost in the employment and the labor market'. And that's 'been the case at ReTuna Recycling Galleria. The new mall created 50 jobs.

References:

'The Guardian' newspaper

Links:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jan/16/eu-declares-war-on-plastic-waste-2030?utm_source=esp&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Green+Light+2016&utm_term=261161&subid=22244761&CMP=EMCENVEML1631