It’s not exactly a new revelation that the EU has sort of declared a war on the usage and production of plastic materials. Then, whether plastic materials are used in varied spheres of life impacting both domestic matters or professional life, what’s been decided, has been decided. Europe has now come to a new, albeit handy conclusion about deciding the fate of the usage and production of plastic straws.
Wondering what is it going to be? England, earlier this week (toward Mid-April) made a a bold announcement about banning the usage of plastic straws altogether. In just a matter of few days or on the upper limit, a month perhaps, there’d be no more sale of plastic straws in England. Even other single-use plastic products and their usage is being deliberated upon.
In the past decade or so, across Europe’s divergent landscape, dumping of plastic waste has remained a common sight and it resulting in destroying marine life and ecology has been a burgeoning crisis, one that has knocked off parliamentary debates and dominated discussions in headlines and digital mastheads. President Theresa May has shared that one of the matters that her administration is going to take very seriously indeed concerns with tackling the issue of marine waste. Her government shared that plastic items- in everyday usage, across households in the country- such as cotton swabs and drink stirrers are in the process of being banned. Their consumption may no longer be a public sight anywhere in Great Britain.
And when you consider the numbers that are hurting England with regards to plastic dumping and waste, then it’s sure to strike your mind like a hit of molten lava. Nothing else suffices. Each year- it is estimated- 8.5 billion straws are disposed in the United Kingdom alone. If you thought this was a grizzly figure, then just consider how big Europe actually is. And just how much damage might plastic dumping elsewhere be causing to the ecology and especially to the marine and coral life? As part of what is being described and widely discussed as a “National Plan of Action”, by the year 2042, all of avoidable plastic waste will be completely eradicated in England. It might appear slightly ambitious in it’s outlook, but it now seems that time has come for England to truly become a plastic-free nation. These are no loose-talks either.
Later this week, network of several Commonwealth countries- mostly former English colonies- are meeting to discuss the relevance and importance of adopting a “Blue Charter” with regards to protecting the marine ecology and environment. UK’s environment minister, Mr. Michael Gove is in the process of launching a consultation later this year. The idea of his activity would be to come out with a list of plastic materials that can and should be banned in totality across all of England. Theresa May has been excited by the possible outcome the said initiative can bring about in changing the ecological landscape of one of the world’s most admired and enigmatic continents. And what better way to start than with England calling the ‘right shots’?