Mexico City bans disposable plastics

Plastic bags, bottles and cups float in the ocean. They represent the massive environmental issue that is global ocean pollution. Image: Placebo365 at iStock.com via AFP

Mexico City’s legislature voted Thursday, May 10 to ban businesses from buying, selling or giving their customers disposable plastics, a major shift for a sprawling capital that is awash in them.

The ban which is set to come into force in December 2020 or January 2021 includes such articles as non-biodegradable plastic bags, straws, cutlery, cups and coffee capsules, the legislature said in a statement calling them a “serious environmental problem.”

It puts the city of nine million people at the forefront of global efforts to protect the environment and curb the amount of plastic that ends up in the Earth’s oceans — eight million tons a year.

Legislators said they would now open debate on a spending package to help companies shift their production and use of plastics toward biodegradable materials. HM/JB

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