Julie Girling issues a “note of caution” over calls to ban plastics

Julie Girling MEP has sounded a warning over calls for the elimination or banning of plastics following the heightened awareness of environmental and recycling issues.

Making the comments in a piece for the Parliament Magazine, Ms Girling said that she welcomed the launch if of the Commission’s plastics strategy in tackling plastics waste at an EU level, but said that calls to dramatically reduce or eliminate plastics should be treated with caution. 

“Frankly, I am worried about food safety and food waste,” she wrote. “The use of plastics for food contact materials, delivering the benefits of prolonged freshness, reducing cross-contamination and providing damage-free delivery to the consumer should not be undervalued. 

“This plastics strategy has to be the vehicle for promoting and enabling a whole new attitude to recycling throughout the food chain, from the farmer to the consumer. Innovation can provide solutions for helping tackle environmental problems.” 

Ms Girling said that she is against the idea of a plastic tax and “was pleased” that the suggestion was not included in the plastics strategy. She said innovation and investment in both materials and technology was something she welcomes.