Two-thirds of people desperately want to see worldwide bans on plastic that can’t easily be recycled at source, according to a major survey.
The poll, of more than 24,000 individuals across 32 countries, found that 66 per cent thought it was ‘essential’ or ‘very important’ to introduce laws preventing sale of such material.
Commissioned by the wildlife charity WWF and campaign group the Plastic Free Foundation, the survey asked how critical it was to ban plastics that couldn’t be simply recycled in all countries they were used.
Just 3 per cent of people said it was unimportant, while a further 5 per cent said it was not very important. A fifth of people thought the issue was ‘fairly important’, with one in 20 still undecided.
The results were very similar when respondents were asked whether ‘unnecessary’ single-use plastics such as shopping bags, cups and plates should be outlawed.
And more than six in 10 people described proposed moves to ensure new plastic products contain recycled material as very important or even essential.
Almost seven in 10 attached the same importance to labelling laws that would force producers to inform consumers how to recycle or otherwise manage the disposal of items.
“The severity of the plastic pollution crisis and the need for immediate global action is universally understood by individuals from every corner of the world,” said WWF vice-president Erin Simon.
