UN declares war on plastic pollution

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has launched an unprecedented global campaign to eliminate major sources of marine litter, micro-plastics in cosmetics and excessive and wasteful usage of single-use plastic by the year 2022.

The #CleanSeas Campaign was launched at the Economist World Ocean Summit in Bali according to statement by UNEP.

The campaign is urging governments to pass plastic reduction policies; targeting industry to minimise plastic packaging and redesign products; and calling on consumers to change the habit of discarding plastic packages, before irreversible damage is done to the seas.

The Head of UNEP, Erik Solheim, said, “It is past time that we tackle the plastic problem that destabilises our oceans. Plastic pollution is surfing onto Indonesian beaches, settling onto the ocean floor at the North Pole and rising through the food chain onto our dinner tables. We have stood by too long as the problem has gotten worse; it must stop.”

The #CleanSeas Campaign will be announcing ambitious measures by countries and businesses to eliminate micro-plastics from personal care products; ban or tax single-use bags and dramatically reduce other disposable plastic items.

Ten countries have already joined the campaign with far-reaching pledges to turn the plastic tide.