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Of: TT
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Photo: Hassene Dridi / AP / TT
Disposable cups that contain plastic have an environmental impact, something the researchers want to pay attention to. Stock Photography.
Can you imagine using the cup of coffee with milk several times? This could happen if the government adopts the proposals now being presented in a new plastics investigation.
– It is unsustainable for plastic to be used once and then left in nature for hundreds of years, says Minister for the Environment and Climate Isabella Lövin (MP).
An investigation was presented on Tuesday on how Sweden should reduce the use of disposable plastic and prevent used plastic from ending up in the wild.
“Plastic remains a major problem and by 2050 we are at risk of having more plastic than fish in our oceans if we fail to reverse the trend,” says Isabella Lövin in relation to the research being presented.
– At the same time, the disposable plastics market continues to grow, it is a curve that we have to break, continues the minister.
EU directive
In 2019, the EU drew up a directive for disposable plastic, which includes a ban on disposable plastic items such as straws, cutlery and plates, as well as a ban on cups and lunch boxes containing polystyrene.
The research that has now been presented has investigated, among other things, how Sweden should work to transpose the directive, something that is not only recommended through bans, but also through awareness-raising measures and increased producer responsibility.
One billion cups
The use of disposable plastic is extensive in Sweden today. Every year, Swedes use between 500 and 1 billion disposable cups that contain plastic.
If the research proposal is adopted, this may change.
The research, which is now being referred to the government, proposes that disposable cups containing more than 10 percent plastic should be banned entirely. In addition to this, customers should be offered to take the drink in a reusable cup.
Researcher Anna Cedrum, at a recommended pandemic distance from the minister, explains the idea behind the proposal.
– There is a use of plastic that we must reduce, disposable plastic containers to take away is an example, he says.
For those who are appalled at the risk of infection at the thought of recycled cups and boxes, there is breathing space. The researcher claims that the change will not be implemented in the near future.
Given the current situation, these requirements will not be implemented until 2024.
Recycling: a headache
But there are plastics that will be difficult to replace completely. Here comes the question of recycling, another scourge in the plastic debate.
Only around 20 percent of plastic packaging is recycled in Sweden today, the rest is incinerated along with household waste.
The EU target is 50 percent recycling by 2025.
Anna Cedrum believes that part of the responsibility for the current situation rests with the producer.
– The reason many plastic-containing packaging is not recycled is that it consists of several components that can be difficult to separate from each other. The reason they are designed this way is often purely aesthetic. We want to see a change in this, he says.
Not just prohibitions
To achieve the EU targets, the research proposes that a package should consist of materials that can be mostly recycled to be allowed on the Swedish market.
In addition to this, it is also proposed that all plastic packaging contain at least 30 percent recycled plastic by 2030.
In addition to the proposals for reusable packaging and the proposals to increase recycling, it is also proposed that the penalties for littering be increased. The investigation wants to see that even those who are guilty of littering minor garbage, for example, throwing a pimp or gum, can be sentenced to a fine.
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