Published: Fri, 23 November 2018
Share this
Leader of the Fine Gael in the European Parliament, Seán Kelly, has today (Friday) hosted a public meeting today on Ending Plastic Waste in the South Court Hotel, Limerick.
As the EPP Group negotiator in the European Parliament’s Fisheries Committee on the EU Single-Use Plastics Directive, the Ireland-South MEP welcomed the opportunity to discuss this issue with constituents and stakeholders:
“In the EU alone, around 26 million tonnes of plastic waste is generated every year, and less than 30% of this is recycled,” said Mr. Kelly speaking from Limerick this morning.
“I am very grateful to be in Limerick today to exchange with members of the public on this pressing topic. We are using far too much plastic unnecessarily, which is creating an excessive amount of waste, and causing environmental, climate, economic and public health problems.
“The Single Use Plastics Directive has been central to my work in Brussels in recent months. It proposes a ban on items like plastic cotton buds, cutlery, plates, straws, and drinks stirrers – products for which there are sustainable alternatives available. Additionally there are measures included to reduce the use of plastic containers, along with labelling and awareness raising measures for certain packaging, sanitary wipes and wet wipes. I am delighted that our work was recently supported in Parliament by 571 votes to 53.
“This is an issue that has important implications for us all, and I am hosting these events around my constituency to raise awareness of the work that is being done. I sincerely appreciate the contributions from our expert speakers today – they brought a wealth of knowledge, experience and varied perspective to the discussion,” he concluded.
