Plastic waste patch in the North Pacific Gyre

9.2.2010

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0825/10
by Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy (ALDE)
to the Commission

1. Is the Commission aware of the so-called ‘plastic soup’, a patch of plastic waste in the North Pacific Gyre in the Pacific Ocean?

2. Does the Commission plan to take any action to deal with this problem and does the Commission know which sectors or groups in our society are mainly responsible for the problem?

3. Does the Commission believe that the sectors responsible should contribute to the cleanup?

4. Does the Commission agree that the cause of the ‘plastic soup’ is the way plastic waste is dealt with by society, including the EU and its Member States?

5. Does the Commission agree that the problem will not be solved by cleaning the ‘soup’ but that the cause of it should be tackled?

6. Would the Commission also strive to take an integral approach by introducing several measures on various levels, of course without bypassing basic principles of the Union such as subsidiarity and proportionality, by increasing the use of biodegradable plastic, providing the financial incentives needed for such policies and fostering innovation?

OJ C 138 E, 07/05/2011