Charity chief calls for NI ban on single-use plastic
Last updated 12th Oct 2020
The Chief Executive of Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful, Ian Humphreys, has urged the Northern Ireland Government to ban single-use plastic straws, cotton buds and stirrers.
A ban on these items has already come into effect in England and now the organisation has urged the Stormont Executive to follow suit.
According to the charity 78% of the litter found on NI beaches in 2018 was plastic.
While over 7.5 billion tonnes of plastic has never been recycled here and according to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, there could be more plastic in the sea than fish by 2050.
Mr Humphreys said NI needs a climate act that has clear measurable targets for the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to meet.
He said the Government should consider introducing levies on other plastic products, like the 5p charge for plastic carrier bags.
He said: “We have to do this urgently we can’t keep delaying, whatever the reason, we can’t keep delaying.
“Plastic is in most of the water samples if we look at that, it’s in the food that we eat, it is in the air we breathe.
“All the stuff that we think we’re throwing away, there is no away, it comes back to us and we’re ingesting it.
“Those small plastics can carry nasty chemicals into our bodies, which then maybe can give cause to other problems.”
He said that although he is keen for the Government to introduce new sustainability measures, but he understands how lengthy the process can be.
“Everything we do comes back to haunt us."
He added: “I’d like to see our Assembly bring in at least the same bans that are happening in other parts of the UK and really stretching out to the list that the EU has published.
“That goes beyond things like the plastic cutlery and the stirrers and the plastic cotton buds.
“It’ll move into things where we will really have to start to think about how we do things differently.
“Particularly things like the polystyrene packaging that we use for takeaways, that you see blowing in the streets.
“I’ve watched many birds eating that - it’s tasty but gets stuck in their stomachs and then they end up with a stomach full of polystyrene and they starve to death.
“We need to extend the range of things that we don’t use and replace them with reusable things as far as we can.”
He attributed the unusual and unpredictable weather changes that have happened across the country in recent months to climate change.
He said: “We had twelve weeks of drought nearly with the dryness at the start of the Covid-19 outbreak.
“We have almost torrential rain more regularly we’ll have storms more regularly and we’ve seen around the world more wildfires in Australia and in the Amazon.
“We know food insecurities is going to increase, it’s going to be harder in the future to import certain food products
“Everything we do comes back to haunt us.
“Changing our lifestyles doesn’t have to be a list of don’t do’s.
“What we’ve seen in the Covid lockdown is a massive move for people to get outdoors, start growing their own food and suddenly realising how much fun that it.”
The Environment and Rural Affairs Minister, Edwin Poots agreed climate change is a defining crisis on a global and national scale.
He said: “We should not underestimate the challenges ahead of us.
“I believe it will take collaborative action across all parts of government, business, industry and households to tackle climate change and ensure that we leave a world where future generations prosper."
“I am currently considering an options appraisal on the introduction of a Climate Change Bill in Northern Ireland.”
DAERA is exploring its legislative options which could tackle some of NI’s plastic waste issues and is currently working with the other UK administrations to introduce Extended Producer Responsibility legislation.
Which would make producers responsible for the costs of managing plastic packaging at the end of its life.
Mr Poots said DAERA is similarly looking to introduce a deposit return scheme that will include plastic bottles and that Initial consultations have already taken place and further engagement with stakeholders is due to take place in 2021.
He added: “The department is seeking powers within the proposed Environment Bill to enable it to introduce levies on other single-use plastic products and I am also intending to review the carrier bag levy legislation to ensure it is achieving its environmental aims.
“In addition, HM Treasury is progressing a proposed plastic packaging tax on all plastic with less than 30% recycled content that is due to be introduced in April 2022.
“This will provide a significant stimulus to drive up the level of plastic that is recycled.”