Minister lauds Mail readers for leading war against plastic waste

THE Environment Secretary has praised Daily Mail readers as she hailed progress towards the first global treaty to cut plastic pollution.

Therese Coffey said the Mail’s Turn the Tide on Plastic campaign is leading the way in efforts to tackle the scourge.

Representatives from more than 160 countries met in Uruguay last week to lay the groundwork for a legally binding global treaty on pollution. They will meet again in Paris in the spring, hoping to conclude a legal text by the end of 2024.

The UK is one of 50 members of the High Ambition Coalition, which is pushing to end all plastic pollution in by 2040. In 2008 the Daily Mail launched Turn the Tide on Plastic to reduce levels of plastic pollution. It has included campaigning for levies on single-use plastic bags in supermarkets, which led to reductions of more than 90 per cent in their use, as well as bans on microbeads in cosmetics and single use plastic straws.

Miss Coffey said: ‘Daily Mail readers have been a vital voice in the campaign for action on plastic pollution and the Government has listened.’