Banning Water Bottles Not the Answer to Marine Litter, says BPF

The British Plastics Federation has expressed its dismay at the decision by the department store Selfridges to remove plastic water bottles from sale in a misguided attempt to tackle marine litter.

Philip Law, the BPF’s Director General said, “The availability of water in portable, lightweight bottles promotes good health and can be critical in emergency situations. Plastic products do not litter themselves onto our streets or into our oceans.”

In addition, Law commented on the positive progress being made in plastic bottle recycling saying, “During 2014, nearly 60% of PET plastic bottles in the household waste stream were collected for recycling. We all need to ensure that recycling rates continue to grow and we urge people to recycle their plastic bottles and not discard them as litter. The only way we can truly tackle littering is not by indiscriminately banning products but through ongoing behavioural change programmes.”

Commenting on the recent media coverage surrounding  Selfridges’ decision, a spokesperson for the Natural Hydration Council said, “Bottled water represents approximately 18 per cent of the packaged soft drinks market and has the lowest environmental impact of all soft drinks. All plastic bottles are 100 per cent recyclable.”

BPF is a strong believer that issues surrounding litter can only be addressed by changing consumer behaviour. The Plastics Industry fully supports public campaigns against littering and sponsors a number of on-the-go recycling initiatives to help people dispose of their empty bottles and encourage sustainability.

ENDS

Notes for Editors:

1. The British Plastics Federation (BPF) is the UK trade association for the Plastics Industry – representing the whole supply chain including polymer producers, distributors, additives suppliers, machinery manufacturers, processors and recyclers.
2. The Natural Hydration Council is a not for profit organisation dedicated to researching the science and communicating the facts about healthy hydration.  They are guided by a Scientific Panel who help them communicate how good hydration habits can positively impact the nation's health and they are supported by their members, who are all producers of naturally sourced bottled water.