In a few years, Spain will abandon non-organic packaging for fruits and vegetables. By 2030, the country plans to switch to packaging that is suitable for recycling completely.
In 2023, Spanish supermarkets will ban the sale of fruits and vegetables in plastic packaging, reported the Ministry of Environmental Transformation of Spain, The Local writes.
The ban on plastic packaging for vegetables and fruits will apply to products weighing less than 1.5 kg.
“The goal is to combat the overuse of packaging in the most efficient way,” a ministry spokesman said, adding that plastic contamination “exceeded all limits.”
It is also planned to make 100% of packaging recyclable by 2030 and halve plastic bottles sales.
According to the government, Spain produces 1.6 million tons of plastic packaging waste annually and recycles less than half. Two-thirds of what is sent to landfills is not recycled.
The British startup produces harmless plastic that decomposes into wax
The British startup Polymateria, which invented biodegradable plastic technology, sold it to one of the world’s largest manufacturers of this material.
Founded in 2015, the company has created a material that does not break down into plastic microparticles, but turns into the wax. It is then processed by fungi and bacteria, Bloomberg states.
The material can be used to make a thin food film and harder items – containers and packaging for beverages. The manufacturer adds various chemicals, oils, and rubbers to its plastic.
Polymateria emphasizes that a thin package of its material decomposes in 226 days, and the standard package – 1 thousand years.
Now the company is actively promoting in Asia. The technology was bought by a large plastic manufacturer Formosa Plastics. Polymateria also signed an agreement in Taiwan with a supplier of the famous chain of stores, 7-Eleven.
Although biodegradable plastic technology is gaining popularity, many scientists believe that this is not a panacea. According to scientists, this does not solve the problem of garbage and may even deepen.
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And now, let’s move on to the Gulf. Read here how to recycle plastic, glass, paper, and household waste in the UAE.
