Day: September 15, 2021

The IT & electronics industry is the world’s largest and fastest-growing industry. Being increasingly inclined towards technology has resulted in the generation of large quantities of electronic waste (e-waste), and there is a crucial need for an effective management solution for handling this kind of waste. Every day, new and better electronic devices are launched and released, thus leaving the old devices outdated, outmoded, and obsolete. In search of getting the most updated versions of devices, individuals dispose of the old equipment with no hesitation. If the problem of ocean plastic pollution finally grabbed the world’s attention in 2018, the ebb and flow of public opinion could and should turn to the heightening issue of electronic waste — which is becoming a global crisis.

The UK Government has planned to launch a public consultation on the proposed ban on a range of single-use plastic items this autumn. The proposal is part of the government’s broader commitment to stop plastic waste by the end of 2042. The ban could be applicable on the supply of single-use plastic plates and cutlery, and polystyrene cups in England. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has estimated that each person in England uses 18 single-use plastic plates and 37 single-use plastic items of cutlery annually. In addition to the ban, the government will impose a plastic packaging tax from April 2022.

The UK has made a legal commitment to reach net zero for greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2050. Some notable progress has been made, most obviously with power generation, but a greater push is needed soon in other spheres, such as home heating and transport. Indeed, pressure for more action is building ahead of this November’s UN climate change conference – or COP26 summit – which the UK Government will be hosting. If net zero policies are to achieve their goals, they must work effectively in rural, as well as urban, locations. All too often Government policies are designed around urban living, without proper thought given to the one in six of us living in rural settlements. Yet policy makers cannot take for granted that what works in an urban centre will also work in a rural location.