Subject: COVID-19 Bangladesh waste report, Break Free from Plastic webinar, Ducor pellet clean up, and more...

ESDO’s latest report on COVID-19 wastes in Bangladesh

According to a recent report published by the Environment and Social Development Organization (ESDO), in Bangladesh, at least 14,500 tons of waste including used gloves, masks, sanitizer containers, and polythene, have been generated in the last month during the lockdown due to COVID-19. ESDO is calling on the Bangladesh government for the proper disposal of PPEs, safety measures for informal waste collectors, and proper waste segregation in households in a time where access to PPE can mean life or death.

#breakfreefromplastic changemaker Shahriar Hossain of ESDO explains: “...the other side of coronavirus impact -- the intensified use of single-use plastic items which is a big concern as improper disposal of those plastic waste can cause massive environmental pollution including soil, water and air, apart from risks of spread of other infectious diseases.

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Find out what it means to be part of the movement

Learn about the bigger picture around the plastic pollution crisis, and ask your burning questions! Sign up for the webinar that best suits your timezone:



May 25 (Monday)
2 PM Belgium & South Africa | 8 PM Philippines & China | 10 PM Australia


May 26 (Tuesday)
5 PM PT | 8 PM ET | 7 PM Ecuador | 8 PM Chile | 9 PM Brazil 

The youth are leading the way in the fight against plastic pollution. 🙌 

 In case you missed it, the Plastic Free Campuses launched virtually last week!

Youth leader Mark Paitan, from Dumaguete City, Philippines shares, ”the youth have a crucial role to play, not only by transforming their campuses, but by setting an example and showing our peers that a better world is possible.” Keep an eye out on our social media channels for the announcements on more online sessions throughout May!


In solidarity with the affected communities in the LG Polymer Gas Leak 
in Visakhapatnam

Our hearts and prayers go out to the victims of a styrene leak at the Visakhapatnam LG polymers plant in India which killed 13 people, over 800 injured, and 1,500 evacuated. Known as an essential component in producing single-use plastic, styrene’s toxic impacts are most severely harmful to those living in the immediate vicinity of the leak and will require continued monitoring in the decades ahead.

In a statement of solidarity, #breakfreefromplastic member Centre for International Environmental Law (CIEL) said: “Similar facilities for styrene and polystyrene production exist in Houston, Texas, St. James Parish, Louisiana, Antwerp, Belgium, as well as in China, Thailand, India, Mexico, and dozens of locations around the world where similar communities may be impacted. Even with right-to-know laws in some places, surrounding communities only have limited information about the chemicals being processed in their midst and how they are being managed to ensure their safety and that of workers.”

 
Watch the first session of #Fracking4Plastic online!

The expert panel looks at the entire life cycle of plastics, with a special focus on what happens upstream. Learn answers to some of the most pressing questions on this topic: Why is the industry so greenhouse gas intensive? What do current supply chains mean for transatlantic relationships? What is the EU doing to tackle this issue? Thanks to the Heinrich-Böll-Foundation, Deutsche Umwelthilfe and Food & Water Action Europe for creating this great resource.


Under Pressure, Plastic Manufacturer Does Pellet Clean Up in Rotterdam

Plastic manufacturer Ducor has started to clean pellets from the heavily polluted ports in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Thanks to Plastic Soup Foundation’s tireless work calling out Ducor’s plastic pellet pollution, additional enforcement requests are underway.

Plastic Soup Foundation, a #breakfreefromplastic member, announced that “all companies in this sector will have to look seriously at their processes and once and for all take responsibility for leaking nurdles to the environment.”


Industry tactics to exploit the pandemic exposed!

How is the industry exploiting the COVID-19 pandemic to push back on plastic pollution reduction gains? #breakfreefromplastic member Surfrider Foundation’s Jennie Romer writes, “Taxpayers should not be on the hook for creating a profitable recycling system for the plastics industry, and the blatant billion-dollar money grab by the plastics industry in a time of crisis makes the need to move swiftly with Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) programs abundantly clear.”


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