The Norwegian government will ban plastic disposable cutlery, plates, straws and q-tips. The ban will be introduced before next summer, NRK reports.
It was during this year’s annual beach cleanup day on Saturday, that the Minister of the Environment, Ola Elvestuen (V) shared the news.
“There is no reason to have these items in plastic. Therefore, we will ban them and try to get the ban in place before next summer,” says Elvestuen to NRK.
The Government does not want to wait for the EU process to ban single-use plastic, and has therefore commissioned the Norwegian Environment Agency to investigate a regulation where the goal is already to go before a hearing in the autumn, and to establish Norwegian regulations in the spring of 2020.
“We want to do this as quickly as we can, so we hope that summer is the last where plastic cutlery is allowed,” says Elvestuen.
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is positive to the proposal.
“It is good to see that our government has been inspired by the EU, India and Costa Rica, all of which have banned a number of disposable plastic products. Ola Elvestuen and the government are positioning Norway among the best in this class again in their efforts to reduce plastic waste – also at home,” says Secretary-General Bård Vegar Solhjell in a comment.
At the same time, WWF calls for a clear set of regulations for producers to follow responsibly, which many political parties, environmental organizations and business actors have also asked for.
© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today
