Tackle single-use plastics bags, EU told

By Hamish Champ
Posted 21 February 2014

A UK academic has called on the European Parliament to tackle single-use plastic bags in order to focus
consumers' minds on the throw away society and change their behaviour.
Speaking this week at a conference in Brussels organised by European Green MPs and the European Free Alliance
party, Richard Thompson, a professor at the University of Plymouths School of Marine Science and Engineering, said
single-use plastic bags were "the epitomy of our disposable, single-use society" and Europe could start addressing the
problem with legislation on single-trip plastic bags.
This would force people to look at what they take home with them. Yes, the actual tonnage [of plastic material used] is
small, but it would help society focus on the issue, he added. Thompson did not say in his address what action he
would like to see over the issue.
However, despite his call for legislation on single-use plastic bags Thompson said he recognised there were benefits to
plastics in many walks of life and crucially in its inherent recyclability.
Plastic is the ideal candidate in a circular economy, he said, arguing that waste plastic should be seen as a resource.
We have had almost 60 years of the throw away culture and 30% of what gets thrown away is made of plastic. We
need to keep the positives [of plastics] without the debris.
Touching on biodegradable plastics, Thompson said that while on the face of it such material might stem from other
natural sources the end result was the same: They dont solve waste management issues and they dont stop waste
accumulating in landfill or in the environment.
Only by capturing these materials once their useful lives had ended would these problems be solved, he argued.
Thompson also showed the conference a see-through plastic bag containing the small debris of a degradable plastic
bag which had been in his possession for 10 years.
Some of these degradable plastics break down rapidly, but lots dont. All we achieve here is a techno-fix, where
material is allowed to rot in the environment.
What needs to happen is for consumers to get better information on recyclability of the plastics they use, as well as
better design in plastics so the resource can be used again.
At the same conference Ton Emans, president of Brussels-based trade body Plastics Recyclers Europe, said: The
future is about developing quality plastics recyclates for producing new goods and not about down-cycling and
misleading the consumer about biodegradability and or the compostability of products in the environment, including the
marine environment."

Emans also claimed that as little as 2% of degradable material in the recycling stream "created quality
problems for recyclers".

Atacai problema sacoelor de unic folosin, spune UE

Un academician britanic cere Parlamentului European s atace problema sacoelor de unic folosin, pentru a atrage
atenia consumatorilor asupra societii aruncatului i pentru a le schimba comportamentul.
Vorbind aceast sptmn la o conferin din Bruxelles, organizat de ctre Partidul Verde European i Aliana Liber
European, Richard Thompson, un profesor al Scolii de Stiin Marin i Inginerie din cadrul Universitii din Plymouth,
a declarat c sacoele de unic folosin din plastic repprezint rezumatul societii noastre consumeriste, de unicfolosin i c Europa ar putea ncepe s abordeze aceast problem (a sacoelor de unic folosin din plastic).

Plasticul este candidatul ideal pentru o economie circular, a spus el, argumentnd c deeurile din plastic ar trebui
s fie privite ca o resurs.
Trim, de aproape 60 ani, ntr-o cultur obinuit cu aruncatul i 30% din deeuri reprezint mase plastice. Trebuie
s pstrm partea bun a plasticului, fr deeuri.
Abordnd problema plasticului biodegradabil, Thompson a spus c dei la suprafa, un asemenea material ar putea
stvili folosirea resurselor naturale, rezultatul final este acelai: Acest tip de material nu rezolv problema deeurilor i
nu mpiedic acumularea de resturi n mediul nconjurtor.
Numai prin strngerea acestor material, dup ce termenul lor de ntrebuinare s-a terminat, s-ar putea rezolva
problema, a adugat el.
Thompson a expus, cu ocazia conferinei, o pung transparent coninnd deeuri mici provenite dintr-o saco
degradabil pe care o avea de 10 ani.
Unele mase plastice biodegradabile se dezintegreaz rapid, dar majoritatea nu o fac. Ajungem numai la o tehnorezolvare, cnd materialul ajunge s putrezeasc n mediul nconjurtor.

Consumatorii trebuie s aib mai multe informaii despre caracterul reciclabil al plasticului pe care l
folosesc, precum i produse mai bune, care s poat fi reutilizate.
In cadrul aceleiai conferine, Ton Emans, preedintele organizaiei Plastics Recyclers Europe din Bruxelles a
declarat: Viitorul se refer la dezvoltarea unor mase plastice reciclate de calitate, pentru fabricarea de
produse noi, i nu se refer la mersul napoi i nelarea consumatorului n legtur cu biodegradabilitatea
i/sau posibilitatea de transformare n compost a produselor, n mediul nconjurtor incluznd aici mediul
marin.
Emasn pretinde c numai un procent de 2% de material degradabil (din fluxul reciclrii) a produs probleme
companiilor care se ocup cu reciclarea.