Friday 21 December 2018

Mexico state votes to curb plastic packaging, straws

The legislature of the northern Mexican state of Coahuila voted on 17 December to ban the distribution and use of plastic bags, polystyrene packaging and straws in that state from 2020, in a bid to curb massive plastic pollution, newspapers and the Notimex agency reported. The norm, an amendment to the state's Law on Ecological Balance and Environmental Protection, was to specify in time sanctions for offenders and propose biodegradable alternatives to the plastic subject to the ban, the broadcaster Televisa reported on 19 December. The regional newspaper Vanguardia observed that the norm should enter into force in late 2019 or early 2020, and given its eight-month adaptation period, curbs should start taking effect by September that year. It expressed doubts however that people would respect the ban.