MP for Stirling Alyn Smith has urged the UK Government to take firm action on addressing the international crisis around plastic pollution, as scientists report plastic debris in practically every biome on Earth.

The UK is a major contributor to the world’s plastic crisis, generating more plastic waste per person than any other country except the USA. In their recent report, “Trashed”, Greenpeace highlighted the failures of our recycling systems. It also shone a light onto waste plastic exports that threaten to overwhelm over countries’ recycling systems, causing serious damage to their citizens and environment.

Exporting plastic waste has recently become more problematic as many governments around the world have begun restricting the type and volume of imports. China made a decision to ban most plastic waste imports in 2017 and many other countries are looking to follow suit. It is becoming more apparent that the consumption of plastic and recycling needs to be addressed by the UK Government.

Alyn Smith MP said:

‘There is a real crisis and now is the time to address it, not when it is too late. The UK Government should commit to cutting production of plastics and look at how they can recycle more plastic in this country.

‘This report highlights the structural inequality of waste management and the extremely damaging effects on those countries that import this waste. I hope that during the COP26 summit these matters will be discussed and all parties come to an agreement on how to move forward. I have written to the Secretary of State to raise concerns and press for further action from the Government on these matters’.

Greenpeace report – https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/resources/trashed-plastic-report