UK Parliamentary Committee plans to hold session to “scrutinize the ways in which the UK Government might reach its own target of eliminating all ‘avoidable’ plastic waste by 2042”; session to be streamed live
June 29, 2021
EPR regulations expanded in Canada and US
Canadian province of Ontario expands extended producer responsibility (EPR) scheme for paper packaging from covering half of recycling cost to full cost by 2023; adds single-use food packaging to program; legislatures in US states of Maine and Oregon pass EPR legislation that includes food packaging; governors of both states need to sign for bills to become law
June 15, 2021
Food packaging identified as primary source of aquatic litter
Nature Sustainability publishes research integrating litter inventories from seven aquatic environments around the globe; finds food packaging makes up the largest share of litter in all aquatic environments (50-88%), except the open ocean; of 112 litter types, 10 make up 75% of litter; top 4 items come from food packaging (44% of total): plastic bags, plastic bottles, food containers, cutlery, and wrappers
February 1, 2021
Stakeholders discuss global plastic treaty
Friends of Europe hosts online debate bringing together stakeholder groups from industry, regulatory agencies, and NGOs; considers how to achieve a circular plastics economy, discusses the necessity of a global plastic treaty, prevention of plastic waste trade and illegal waste dumping, extended producer responsibility schemes (EPRs), need for unified EU plastic waste market; discussions build on report by European Environment Agency, case study by Zero Waste Europe and report by Ellen MacArthur Foundation
January 29, 2021
EEA report presents pathways toward circular plastics economy
European Environment Agency (EEA) publishes report on plastics, their impact on the environment and climate, and their place in an EU circular economy; three joint pathways for achieving necessary change identified based on smarter use, increased circularity, and renewable raw material
January 12, 2021
REFUCOAT develops recyclable, active packaging
EU Horizon 2020 Project REFUCOAT develops three packaging materials to reduce plastic waste and food loss, uses bacteriophage-based coating to reduce Salmonella proliferation in chicken breast, more efficient synthesis of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) and polyglycolide (PGA)
January 11, 2021
Save Our Seas 2.0 Act becomes law in US
New US law provides annual funding for waste and recycling management, anti-littering campaigns, new Marine Debris Foundation, innovation prize; supported by chemical and plastics manufactures as needed infrastructure investment, criticized by civil society organizations as not addressing excessive plastic production as root problem
