During its board meeting yesterday (6 November), the Waste Free Oceans (WFO) foundation unanimously nominated French Member of European Parliament (MEP) Alain Cadec (pictured) to succeed former MEP Anna Rosbach to lead the public-private foundation as Champion.
Cadec said: “This WFO foundation activity needs to be promoted all over Europe and even all over the world. Pollution has already reached levels which are no longer acceptable for our future generations. To preserve the quality of our food chain, it all starts with education and awareness.
“The European Parliament’s Fisheries Committee must be properly informed about the sustainability challenges of the fisheries sector and these WFO foundation actions are one of them. Now that the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund may be used to support these actions all local fishermen must be informed about this. They can, if they want, apply for funding and support to receive the needed equipment to perform these clean up tasks. At the same time we ask the plastics industry to inform and educate the consumer more about recycling of these products at the end of their useful life.”
The WFO foundation was set up three years ago under the leadership of former EU Commissioner Maria Damanaki and former MEP Anna Rosbach to encourage fishermen and the plastics industry to work together on the elimination of marine litter.
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How will the government and DMOs address the challenges of including glass in DRS while ensuring a level playing field across the UK?
There's no easy solution to include glass in the DRS while maintaining a level playing field. Potential approaches include a phased introduction of glass, potentially with higher deposits to reflect its logistical challenges. The government and DMOs could incentivise innovation in glass packaging design and subsidise dedicated return points for glass-handling. Exemptions for smaller businesses unable to handle glass might also be necessary. Any successful solution will likely blend several approaches. It must address the differing priorities of devolved administrations, balance environmental benefits with logistical and cost implications, and be supported by robust consumer education campaigns emphasizing the importance of glass recycling.