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188 groups say it’s time to ‘make the throw-away go away’
Before the 1950s and 60s, the majority of the products we produced and consumed were built to last. Milk bottles made of glass were returned and sterilized for re-use, restaurants offered ceramic plates and stainless-steel cutlery and the plastic bag was yet to be invented.
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NGOs call on Environment Ministers of the EU member states to stop the plastic flood
When meeting with your fellow Environment Ministers of the EU Member States on December 17th in Brussels, we urge you to take a decisive stand against plastic waste – hazardous to human health and the environment. Across the EU, an increasing number of disposable packaging and products, some of which are toxic, are being brought to market. At the same time, reusable products represent only a minor share, and high-quality and toxic-free recycling is not gaining any traction.
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New Federal Law green lights plastic waste export for burning
The Australian government’s much touted Recycling and Waste Reduction Bill is being debated in the Federal Senate this week, establishes a legal framework to repackage Australia’s plastic waste as fuel and send it to poor countries to burn. It also subsidises industries that process plastic waste into fuels’ to burn in cement kilns and incinerators in Australia. The new Bill undermines efforts to move to a circular economy that Australian citizens have been led to expect that this bill would deliver.
CONTINUE READING188 groups say it’s time to ‘make the throw-away go away’
Before the 1950s and 60s, the majority of the products we produced and consumed were built to last. Milk bottles made of glass were returned and sterilized for re-use, restaurants offered ceramic plates and stainless-steel cutlery and the plastic bag was yet to be invented.
CONTINUE READING NGOs call on Environment Ministers of the EU member states to stop the plastic flood
When meeting with your fellow Environment Ministers of the EU Member States on December 17th in Brussels, we urge you to take a decisive stand against plastic waste – hazardous to human health and the environment. Across the EU, an increasing number of disposable packaging and products, some of which are toxic, are being brought to market. At the same time, reusable products represent only a minor share, and high-quality and toxic-free recycling is not gaining any traction.
CONTINUE READING New Federal Law green lights plastic waste export for burning
The Australian government’s much touted Recycling and Waste Reduction Bill is being debated in the Federal Senate this week, establishes a legal framework to repackage Australia’s plastic waste as fuel and send it to poor countries to burn. It also subsidises industries that process plastic waste into fuels’ to burn in cement kilns and incinerators in Australia. The new Bill undermines efforts to move to a circular economy that Australian citizens have been led to expect that this bill would deliver.
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Asian Development Bank Asked to Stop Funding Fake Climate Solutions
Cebu City, Philippines – As the Asian Development Bank (ADB) convenes for its 54th Annual Meeting with the theme “Collaboration for Resilient and Green Recovery,” environment and climate activists and informal waste pickers in Cebu, Philippines affiliated under Sanlakas, No Burn Pilipinas, and EcoWaste Coalition staged a symbolic wreath laying protest action in the controversial and foreclosed Barangay Inayawan Sanitary Landfill to demand the withdrawal of ADB on all WtE incinerator projects in the city.
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“What We Waste” Report: Top Asian Countries With Sharpest Decline Of Market Share Of Refillables In The Beverage Industry Identified In Landmark Global Report
MANILA/JAKARTA/BANGKOK/NEW DELHI (April 29, 2021) --- Single-use beverage containers are rapidly displacing refillable systems in many parts of the world and resulting in massive increases in wastage and pollution, according to a new landmark report by international non-profit organisation Reloop[1}, which was released in a media briefing together with Changing Markets and #breakfreefromplastic.
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Newly launched Plastic Atlas Asia edition provides an Asia-focused overview of the plastic pollution crisis
Joint publication also features a chapter on “plastic pandemic” revealing how the oil and gas industry will ramp up plastic production in the coming years Hong Kong/Philippines/Tokyo/Dhaka/New Delhi (April 22, 2021) — On Earth Day (April 22), the Heinrich Böll Foundation, the Break Free From Plastic movement, and Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) published […]
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Paryavaran Mitra Demands Indian Government to Formalize Gujarati Waste Picking, Provide Workers Adequate Livelihood and Benefit
Waste pickers in India are an integral part of the healthcare and sanitation sector, yet are largely unrecognized by the very systems they support. In the state of Gujarat, #breakfreefromplastic member Paryavaran Mitra, an environmental organization that aims to increase public participation in government decision-making, is appealing to authorities to acknowledge the essential role waste pickers have in keeping the environment clean and safe, especially as COVID-19 continues to spread. The group is demanding that the government provide waste pickers livelihood and policies that will help protect them.
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Members in the Spotlight: Global 2000
Q1 – Please introduce yourself(-ves) and your organisation? GLOBAL 2000 is an independent environmental protection organisation in Austria based in Vienna. It all started in 1982, when six activists took an environmental study of the time, the first environmental report in history called “Global 2000”, as a model and began to shape Austria’s environmental policy. […]
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Guilt and frustration sometimes lead to positive change
Nine of us took part in a household audit of plastic waste. We were a group of neighbours and friends, many of us living alone or with one other person. All of us used supermarkets to do some of our shopping. We knew that plastic was damaging the environment and we’re trying — in […]
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Show us how you do it by sharing a photo or video breaking free from plastic
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There is a rush to find and fund bioplastics, but bioplastics will perpetuate the world's problematic throwaway culture, and there aren't enough studies backing its safety.
If we want to #breakfreefromplastic, we should start from the source!
http://bit.ly/PlasticAtlasAsia
“It is time to hold producers accountable. Companies must ditch the plastic & invest in reusable & refillable packaging.
#BreakFreeFromPlastic Pollution Act will ban certain single-use plastics & make producers responsible for their pollution"
👇 @WSJ
https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-federal-plan-to-end-our-environmental-plasticide-11620060738
The @goldmanprize celebrates grassroots environmental activists around the world including some of our very own #breakfreefromplastic changemakers.🙌🏾✨
Watch the 2021 #GoldmanPrize Virtual Award Ceremony on June 15 at 4:00 pm PDT / 7:00 pm EDT.
Register: http://rsvp.goldmanprize.org/2021
Did you know that @Pepsi produces over 2.3 million tonnes of plastic? That’s the equivalent to 63,360 humpback whales!
Let's pressure @Pepsi to #breakfreefromplastic, end its toxic relationship w/ BIG OIL & switch to Reuse & Refill!
SIGN 👇 @Greenpeace
https://act.greenpeace.org/page/39058/subscribe/1
"All of us need to keep wearing masks but we also urgently need more research & regulation on mask production, so we can reduce any risks to the environment & human health." 😷 Dr Sarper Sarp, Swansea University
#breakfreefromplastic
READ @sciencedaily
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/05/210504112637.htm