The European plastics industry is under governmental pressure to improve production strategies to prevent harmful marine debris.
The Dutch government is calling for EU-level action to address environmental harm caused by vast floating masses of plastic waste in the oceans and has presented its concerns to the EU Environment Council of Ministers (21 October 2009).
The communication states that the drifting mass of plastic and rubber - known as ‘plastics soup’ - in the Pacific Ocean occupies an area roughly 34 times the size of the Netherlands, and a similar expanse has been confirmed in the Atlantic Ocean, threatening marine ecosystems worldwide. “Chemicals in plastic and that bond to plastic constitute the biggest problem,” the Dutch delegation said. “We need to ensure that the plastic cycle is closed as much as possible. It is important we clear up the existing waste, but even more important that we prevent plastic from ending up in the sea in the first place.”
“The British Plastics Federation welcomes the call from the Netherlands for the Commission to investigate the extent of the problem of plastics in the oceans and to consider appropriate international responses to this potential issue such as educational initiatives or stricter penalties on dumping at sea," BPF public affairs spokesman Anthony Roberts told Packaging Today.
"The plastics industry does not put plastics into the seas,” he said. “This [plastics soup] is caused by littering, illegal dumping, and poor transportation and waste management practices.
“We want the plastics back to be recycled or provide much needed energy through energy from waste combustion. International co-operation is needed to make this work, as it is a global problem,” said Mr Roberts.
Belgium claims the highest plastics manufacturing tonnage per inhabitant in the world. “We have a moral duty to set an example to the rest of the world in a sustainable use of plastics,” Geert Scheys,? secretary general of Federplast.be - the Belgian Association of Manufacturers of Plastic and Rubber Products told Packaging Today.
“We welcomed the initiative of the Belgian authorities to support local fishing industry financially for bringing on land the waste the collect as a ‘by-catch’. We also offered our competence to the authorities to bring the issue at the international level where solutions have to be developed and implemented,” said Mr Scheys.
