Cabinet decision on a bill to circulate plastic waste as a resource

A bill to reduce plastic waste that leads to environmental pollution and to circulate plastic as a resource was approved by the Cabinet on the 9th.

It requires businesses not to provide excessive plastic products and to voluntarily recall used products.

It is estimated that about 8 million tons of plastic waste flow into the sea every year, causing serious environmental pollution.

For this reason, the government passed a bill at a cabinet meeting on the 9th to reduce the amount of plastic that becomes waste and circulate it as a resource.

The bill includes measures at each stage, from designing plastic products to disposal and recycling.

Specifically, we will establish a system to certify products with environmentally friendly designs by the government, require manufacturers to design products that are easy to recycle, and also distribute plastic spoons to retailers free of charge. It is a content that obliges not to provide excessive forks and to switch to other materials.

We also encourage businesses that manufacture and sell plastic products to create and work on plans for voluntary recall and recycling of used products.

Furthermore, since many local governments consider plastic-containing waste to be combustible or non-combustible, we aim to promote its utilization as a resource by making it possible to collect it together with containers and packaging such as food trays. I will.

The government intends to submit this bill to the current ordinary session of the Diet and aim to pass it.