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"Looking for a bag?" Is this the question you do not get rid of anymore in food, bazaars or pharmacies. Even if the merchandise is already wrapped in wax paper or cardboard and is not threatened by a malicious virus, it is still in a "bag" that you throw in the trash. The "bag" syndrome is much broader, it can be extrapolated to giant packs for a few slices of salmon or ham, all generous packages to inflate the price of all the disposable plastic we've been using for so little time, that their main objective seems to be landfilling. But here, the EU has decided to end this waste of land, and Rewe and Lidl are already taking a small step in that direction.
Retailers Rewe and Lidl want to ban single-use straw on their shelves. This step, small but powerful, takes place before the implementation of a new European directive. Plastic straws are among the classic disposable products that arrive, with tons, in the world's oceans.
In the supermarket chains Rewe and Lidl, there is no longer plastic straw on the shelves. Both companies have announced that they will stop selling disposable plastic straw. Rewe plans to bring these products to around 6,000 stores by the end of the year, including stores in its Penny and Toom Baumarkt stores. Lidl and his sister company, Kaufland, want to remove not only the plastic straw until the end of 2019, but also other disposable items such as glasses, plates, cutlery and chopsticks.
The Power of Example
Rewe justifies this decision by saying that plastic straws are conventional disposable products that would only be used on average 20 minutes before they were sold. reach the trash. These are, among other things, among the most common objects of shore waves, beaches around the world. With the renunciation of these products, the Rewe Group saves each year more than 42 million disposable plastic straws.
Starting in the spring of 2019, the Group will propose alternatives to paper, wheat or stainless steel. With all these good intentions, Rewe's market share in plastic straw is minor. The company sells less than one percent of all German plastic straw – cafes, bars and clubs usually buy plastic from traditional suppliers. However, it takes a step that other retailers are following.
And Lidl, with 3,200 branches in Germany, wants to replace plastic products with products made from alternative and recyclable materials. Mention that this "conversion" only takes place after the sale of the quantities already purchased. The supermarket chain is striving to eliminate plastic cutlery and straw even for locally grown foods and beverages.
Rewe and Lidl come with their initiatives before imposing legal regulations. At the end of May, the European Commission (EC) presented its anti-waste strategy and announced the ban on disposable plastic products. The EC hopes that disposable dishes, straw and plastic cutlery will disappear in the future of the daily life of Europeans.
Pollution Paid
These and other measures are aimed at reducing ocean plastic waste in the long term. The EU Framework Directive is yet to be adopted by the European Parliament and the European Council. The Commission insists that the regulation be in place before the European elections of May 2019.
Many believe that these measures are not enough. Georg Mehlhart, a researcher at the Ecological Institute of Freiburg, believes that "when the plastic is for sale, it will be bought". He said in an interview with the German media that "the project of the European Commission is much broader.Apart with the ban, the responsibility of the producers will be imposed in a manner similar to that which takes place. applies to packaging manufacturers. "
Specifically, these are additional costs. Plastic waste is picked up on the shores or fished in the ocean all over the world, and no one knows who should be held responsible and paid for this cleanup activity. If, according to the new regulations, they pay for plastic pollution, their profits decrease, and they can consider replacing plastic with a raw material that is more easily degraded. "In the ideal case, their position on the problem will also change," Professor Mehlhart concludes with optimism.
With less optimism I see the solution of the "pocket" that is eating today and that I decided to fight consistently. It helps the thought of "earlier" when the paratrooper was wrapped only in paper and carried in the bag from time to time at home. It also helps the future as the assault of non-recyclable plastic is a nuisance to the Earth and its beings
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