Nearly all the world's countries sign deal to prevent plastic waste - except US
Source: The Guardian and agencies
Nearly all the world's countries sign deal to prevent plastic waste – except US
Deal will improve handling of plastic waste and prevent it from getting washed or dumped into oceans and rivers, UN says
Guardian staff and agencies
Fri 10 May 2019 21.00 BST Last modified on Fri 10 May 2019 23.34 BST
Almost all the world’s countries have agreed on a deal to improve the way they deal with plastic waste and prevent so much of it from getting washed or dumped into oceans and rivers – with the glaring exception of the United States, the United Nations announced on Friday afternoon.
A “legally binding framework” that affects thousands of types of plastic waste emerged at the end of a two-week meeting of UN-backed conventions on plastic waste and toxic, hazardous chemicals that threaten the planet’s seas and creatures.
Rolph Payet of the United Nations Environment Program says the “historic agreement” linked to the 186-country, UN-supported Basel convention signatories, meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, means countries will have to monitor and track movements of plastic waste outside their borders.
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The signatory countries agreed to amend the Basel convention, a global treaty that places strict controls on the export of certain types of waste between first world countries and less wealthy nations.
The amendment will make the global trade in plastic waste more transparent and better regulated, while also ensuring that its management is safer for human health and the environment. But the US abstained.
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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/may/10/nearly-all-the-worlds-countries-sign-plastic-waste-deal-except-us
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