Regulate the production of single-use products
A remarkable number of national and local governments over the last decade have developed and implemented policies and economic measures to tackle single-use plastic. This number is likely to continue increasing. Recently governments from around the world joined hands at the third meeting of the UNEA committing to a “Pollution Free Planet”.
Since the 1950s, 8.3 billion metric tons of plastics have been produced, and half of that in the past 15 years alone.
SourceBenefits
- Regulation can be applied in several different forms, which makes it flexible to the needs of the nation
- Tackles the problem at the source
- When implimented can make an immediate large-scale impact
Challenges
- Introducing regulation can take a long time, depending on a nation's legal structure and public will
- Any taxes or levies must be not be absorbed by the plastic producers, but passed on to retailers and/ or consumers to incentivise behaviour change
Making a difference
Since 1991, packaging producers in Germany have had to pay for the removal and recycling of packaging waste as part of a waste separation scheme known as the “Grüne Punkt”, or “Green Dot”.