Green Party’s Waste Reduction Bill 2017 seeks to ban single-use, non-recyclable plastics

Kevin O’Sullivan

A Bill to introduce a recycling deposit scheme for bottles and cans, and to eventually ban single-use, non-recyclable plastics in food and drink outlets has been published by the Green Party.

The deposit scheme would incur a very small cost for manufacturers, which would be refunded to consumers who returned glass or plastic bottles and cans for recycling – eg at 10 cents per item.

Such schemes are operating successfully in other countries and have led to a reduction in plastic pollution and littering.

The Waste Reduction Bill 2017 also proposes that a ban on plastic coffee cups and cutlery would be phased in, and require their replacement by recyclable or compostable products.

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