Despite years of appeals and encouragement, plastic pollution is only getting worse. Is it time to drop the carrot and pick up the stick?
The carrots have been positive and plentiful. There are international public-private projects, such as the Afri-Plastics Challenge, backed by the Canadian government, which is tackling the alarming rise in plastic waste across Africa. There are other efforts in domestic markets, like the UK Plastics Pact from the Waste Resource Action Programme (WRAP).
Industry-led initiatives abound, too. Last June, for example, five of the UK’s biggest names in branded fast-moving consumer goods — Mars UK, Mondelēz International, Nestlé, PepsiCo and Unilever — formed a £1m Flexible Plastic Fund to make recycling more economically viable for operators and easier for consumers. Individual retailers like Boots also have their own programmes.