Plastic waste is a global problem, and the food sector is one of its main drivers. It only takes a quick visit to a supermarket to realize this: With the exception of some paper or aluminum packaging, our food is almost always packaged in plastics that then go to waste. This is a recent story: Until the 1970s, the amount of plastic produced in the world was relatively small, but since then it has grown faster than any other material. In the early 2000s, the amount of plastic waste we generated increased more in a single decade than in the previous 40 years, the World Bank says. According to the report, “A plastic-free ocean: Challenges to reduce marine pollution in Brazil,” published by the NGO Oceana, Brazil produces around 7 million tons of plastic products every year, 44% of which are single-use, disposable plastic; i.e., packaging, straws and cutlery, among other items, which are often used only once. Bill 2524/2022, currently being discussed in Congress, offers proposals to change this scenario. Authored by Senator Jean-Paul Prates, the text provides for a ban on the manufacture, import, distribution, use and marketing of single-use disposable items, as well as establishing 2030 as the deadline for all packaging to be “returnable and demonstrably recyclable or replaced by packaging made from fully compostable materials manufactured of renewable raw materials.” While the bill awaits final vote, the current scenario is one of increased production and consumption, especially in the food sector, of plastic packaging made…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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