Plastic Free July – there are alternatives to single use packaging
The world is marking Plastic Bag Free Day on July 3 alongside Plastic Free July awareness campaign which teaches us that in parallel with global efforts, each individual should learn to make small changes and choose to refuse single plastics we use every day. At the same time, it teaches us that despite current challenges […]
5 ways lobbyists are using COVID-19 to weaken EU environmental laws
Are EU environmental laws and the European Green Deal really at stake because of the COVID-19 pandemic? Lobby groups in Brussels are doing their best to diminish them, Anton Lazarus, Communications Manager at European Environmental Bureau (EEB), says in his article and lists five examples of how corporate lobbyists asked for the suspension of crucial […]
US states suspend, reverse plastic bag bans amid coronavirus pandemic
Several local and state governments in the United States including Massachusetts and San Francisco have been delaying and rolling back plastic bag limitations, while some even went so far as to prohibit reusable bags out of fears that they help the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. Maine postponed its plastic bag ban until early next […]
China to ban single use plastics, bags in phases
The National Development and Reform Commission said in Beijing that the state would by 2025 establish a comprehensive system for the production, sales, consumption, processing and disposal of plastic items. Big cities are first up to roll out the changes, while other places will have more time to adjust. China wants to eradicate most of […]
Single-use packaging, plastics banned in state institutions of North Macedonia
The Government of North Macedonia has approved the initiative of the Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning to ban single-use packaging and plastics. Minister Naser Nuredini said that the ban would come into force on January 1, 2020. It means that in the next public procurement of the Government of North Macedonia, plastic bottles will […]
Greece seeks to phase out coal by 2028, Ptolemaida V prospects unclear
Greece will adopt a new national energy and climate plan by the end of 2019 that will envisage the shutdown of all coal power plants in Greece by 2028, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said at the UN Climate Action Summit 2019. The plan will also call for expanding the share of renewables to 35% by […]
European Parliament confirms ban on single-use plastics by 2021
The European Parliament (EP) has approved a new law banning single-use plastic items such as plates, cutlery, straws, and cotton buds sticks. Confirming draft plans approved in late 2018, the EP said the following single-use plastic products will be banned in the EU by 2021: Single-use plastic cutlery (forks, knives, spoons and chopsticks) Single-use plastic […]
Vojvodina adopts Declaration on Environmental Protection, recommends ban on plastic bags
The Government of the province of Vojvodina has adopted the Declaration on Environmental Protection, which envisages the end of coal and heating oil used for heating in public buildings, a wider introduction of environmentally friendly vehicles for public transport, and the prohibition of plastic bags by the end of 2020. In order to enter into […]