{"id":27396,"date":"2018-03-13T12:57:11","date_gmt":"2018-03-13T12:57:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jomec.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/?p=27396"},"modified":"2018-03-13T12:57:11","modified_gmt":"2018-03-13T12:57:11","slug":"wales-poisoned-plastics-say-campaigners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2018\/03\/13\/wales-poisoned-plastics-say-campaigners\/","title":{"rendered":"Wales is being poisoned by plastics, say campaigners"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">OUR country is being poisoned by plastic, say campaigners who today called on the Welsh Government to introduce a tax on single-use plastic. <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Friends of Barry Beaches submitted a petition with more than 100 signatures urging AMs to tax plastic in the same way as the 5p charge on single-use carrier bags.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Use of the flimsy bags has declined by 71 per cent since the charge was introduced in 2011, according to Welsh Government statistics<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Rhun Ap Iorwerth, AM for Anglesey, said: \u201cI would love to see Wales taking the lead as with plastic carrier bags. I\u2019m grateful for this petition, and I\u2019m sure we\u2019ll have many more.\u201d<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Later today, the petitions committee will also hear evidence on how a deposit return system for drinks bottles and cans might work and a plea for legislation to make fast food containers compostable. <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Marine Conservation Society will present a petition with 1,993 signatures calling for the introduction of a deposit return system for glass and plastic bottles and aluminium cans. It also wants all fast food containers and utensils, take-away cups and lids, to be compostable if they cannot be reused, refilled or collected for recycling. <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The petitions committee will link the two petitions and hear the evidence session before responding. <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But how dependent on plastic are we, and will legislation be enough to encourage us to find alternatives?<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A Boots Meal Deal is a typical lunchtime option for workers in Cardiff. Shoppers are faced with a wide range of food options with one thing in common \u2013 nearly all are packaged in plastic.<\/span><br \/>\n<figure id=\"attachment_27399\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-27399\" style=\"width: 960px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-large wp-image-27399\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/mealdeal1-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"960\" height=\"720\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/mealdeal1-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/mealdeal1-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/mealdeal1-770x577.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/mealdeal1-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/mealdeal1-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/mealdeal1-500x375.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/mealdeal1-293x220.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/mealdeal1-1400x1050.jpg 1400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-27399\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-27399\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/mealdeal1-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"960\" height=\"720\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/mealdeal1-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/mealdeal1-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/mealdeal1-770x577.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/mealdeal1-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/mealdeal1-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/mealdeal1-500x375.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/mealdeal1-293x220.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/mealdeal1-1400x1050.jpg 1400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><\/noscript> Shoppers in Cardiff survey choose their lunch, with nearly all options packaged in plastic<\/figcaption><\/figure><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Andy Williams, from North Cardiff, has picked a tuna pasta salad in a bulky plastic box; some mango chunks in a plastic pot; and was choosing a drink. He agreed the amount of plastic on display was worrying but he popped in most days. <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cI saw the most ridiculous thing in Sainsbury&#8217;s yesterday \u2013 a shaved coconut on a plastic stand all wrapped up in more plastic,\u201d he said. <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">He didn\u2019t worry about the amount of plastic used to package his lunch, as his workplace recycled all waste. Nor did he think a 5p &#8220;plastic tax&#8221; would put him off. <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A woman, who did not want to be named but worked for Cardiff University, showed me her basket. All her options, including grapes and apple slices in a plastic pot, could have been bought from home in a re-useable lunch box and saved three separate single-use plastic containers. <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cIt\u2019s totally unnecessary, but you just buy it don\u2019t you? It\u2019s easy,\u201d she said.<\/span><br \/>\n<figure id=\"attachment_27407\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-27407\" style=\"width: 960px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-27407 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/Basket-1-2-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"960\" height=\"720\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/Basket-1-2-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/Basket-1-2-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/Basket-1-2-770x578.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/Basket-1-2-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/Basket-1-2-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/Basket-1-2-500x375.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/Basket-1-2-293x220.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/Basket-1-2-1400x1050.jpg 1400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-27407\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-27407 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/Basket-1-2-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"960\" height=\"720\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/Basket-1-2-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/Basket-1-2-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/Basket-1-2-770x578.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/Basket-1-2-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/Basket-1-2-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/Basket-1-2-500x375.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/Basket-1-2-293x220.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/Basket-1-2-1400x1050.jpg 1400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><\/noscript> A shopping basket at lunch time &#8211; full of plastic<\/figcaption><\/figure><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cabinet secretary for finance and local government, Mark Drakeford says a disposable plastic tax would not be pursued at present. <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But Minister for Environment, Hannah Blythyn, has since confirmed that the Welsh Government is continuing to look at its approach to plastic. <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cWe have secured Wales\u2019 involvement in the UK Government\u2019s call for evidence about how it will address the issue of single use plastic, including through the use of tax,\u201d she said.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Waste policy, including recycling, is a devolved issue. However, the government is waiting for the outcome of a UK study before it considers Wales-only policies. <\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Wales exported over 40,000 tonnes of waste last year to be recycled, with more than three-quarters of this headed to China. However, the Chinese government implemented a ban on plastic waste imports on January 1 this year.<\/span><br \/>\nWalking around supermarkets on a busy lunchtime showed how much we are reliant on food packaged in plastic. Here are some of the worst examples:<br \/>\n<figure id=\"attachment_27410\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-27410\" style=\"width: 3993px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-27410\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/baked-potatoes.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"3993\" height=\"2995\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-27410\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-27410\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/baked-potatoes.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"3993\" height=\"2995\" \/><\/noscript> Already baked and stuffed with cheese &#8211; baked potatoes in plastic<\/figcaption><\/figure><br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n<figure id=\"attachment_27411\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-27411\" style=\"width: 960px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-large wp-image-27411\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/carrot-and-houmous-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"960\" height=\"960\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/carrot-and-houmous-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/carrot-and-houmous-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/carrot-and-houmous-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/carrot-and-houmous-770x770.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/carrot-and-houmous-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/carrot-and-houmous-2048x2048.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/carrot-and-houmous-293x293.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/carrot-and-houmous-500x500.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/carrot-and-houmous-390x390.jpg 390w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/carrot-and-houmous-585x585.jpg 585w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/carrot-and-houmous-900x900.jpg 900w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/carrot-and-houmous-1400x1400.jpg 1400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-27411\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-27411\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/carrot-and-houmous-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"960\" height=\"960\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/carrot-and-houmous-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/carrot-and-houmous-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/carrot-and-houmous-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/carrot-and-houmous-770x770.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/carrot-and-houmous-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/carrot-and-houmous-2048x2048.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/carrot-and-houmous-293x293.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/carrot-and-houmous-500x500.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/carrot-and-houmous-390x390.jpg 390w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/carrot-and-houmous-585x585.jpg 585w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/carrot-and-houmous-900x900.jpg 900w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/carrot-and-houmous-1400x1400.jpg 1400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><\/noscript> Houmous in a plastic pot, inside a plastic pot full of carrot batons!<\/figcaption><\/figure><br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n<figure id=\"attachment_27412\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-27412\" style=\"width: 960px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-large wp-image-27412\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/courgetti-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"960\" height=\"720\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/courgetti-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/courgetti-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/courgetti-770x577.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/courgetti-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/courgetti-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/courgetti-500x375.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/courgetti-293x220.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/courgetti-1400x1050.jpg 1400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-27412\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-27412\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/courgetti-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"960\" height=\"720\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/courgetti-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/courgetti-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/courgetti-770x577.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/courgetti-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/courgetti-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/courgetti-500x375.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/courgetti-293x220.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/courgetti-1400x1050.jpg 1400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><\/noscript> Courgetti &#8211; spiralised courgettes in a plastic pouch<\/figcaption><\/figure><br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n<figure id=\"attachment_27413\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-27413\" style=\"width: 960px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-large wp-image-27413\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/ham-and-fork-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"960\" height=\"960\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/ham-and-fork-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/ham-and-fork-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/ham-and-fork-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/ham-and-fork-770x770.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/ham-and-fork-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/ham-and-fork-2048x2048.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/ham-and-fork-293x293.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/ham-and-fork-500x500.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/ham-and-fork-390x390.jpg 390w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/ham-and-fork-585x585.jpg 585w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/ham-and-fork-900x900.jpg 900w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/ham-and-fork-1400x1400.jpg 1400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-27413\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-27413\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/ham-and-fork-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"960\" height=\"960\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/ham-and-fork-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/ham-and-fork-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/ham-and-fork-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/ham-and-fork-770x770.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/ham-and-fork-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/ham-and-fork-2048x2048.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/ham-and-fork-293x293.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/ham-and-fork-500x500.jpg 500w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/ham-and-fork-390x390.jpg 390w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/ham-and-fork-585x585.jpg 585w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/ham-and-fork-900x900.jpg 900w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/ham-and-fork-1400x1400.jpg 1400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><\/noscript> Chunks of ham in a plastic tray, complete with plastic fork<\/figcaption><\/figure><br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n<figure id=\"attachment_27414\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-27414\" style=\"width: 3862px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-27414\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/strawberries-and-choc.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"3862\" height=\"2897\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-27414\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-27414\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/strawberries-and-choc.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"3862\" height=\"2897\" \/><\/noscript> Two strawberries, halved, with a separate pouch for chocolate sauce. An extravagant treat and an extravagant use of plastic<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>OUR country is being poisoned by plastic, say campaigners who today called on the Welsh Government to introduce a tax on single-use plastic. Friends of Barry Beaches submitted a petition with more than 100 signatures urging AMs to tax plastic in the same way as the 5p charge on single-use carrier bags. Use of the flimsy bags has declined by 71 per cent since the charge was introduced in 2011, according to Welsh Government statistics Rhun Ap Iorwerth, AM for [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":107,"featured_media":27407,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,3],"tags":[5901,983,5902,1009],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-27396","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-longer-reads","category-news","tag-petitions-committee","tag-plastic","tag-plastic-tax","tag-recycling"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Wales is being poisoned by plastics, say campaigners - The Cardiffian<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2018\/03\/13\/wales-poisoned-plastics-say-campaigners\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Wales is being poisoned by plastics, say campaigners - The Cardiffian\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"OUR country is being poisoned by plastic, say campaigners who today called on the Welsh Government to introduce a tax on single-use plastic. Friends of Barry Beaches submitted a petition with more than 100 signatures urging AMs to tax plastic in the same way as the 5p charge on single-use carrier bags. Use of the flimsy bags has declined by 71 per cent since the charge was introduced in 2011, according to Welsh Government statistics Rhun Ap Iorwerth, AM for [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2018\/03\/13\/wales-poisoned-plastics-say-campaigners\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Cardiffian\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-03-13T12:57:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/Basket-1-2.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2416\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1812\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Laura Clements\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Laura Clements\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2018\/03\/13\/wales-poisoned-plastics-say-campaigners\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2018\/03\/13\/wales-poisoned-plastics-say-campaigners\/\",\"name\":\"Wales is being poisoned by plastics, say campaigners - The Cardiffian\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2018\/03\/13\/wales-poisoned-plastics-say-campaigners\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2018\/03\/13\/wales-poisoned-plastics-say-campaigners\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/Basket-1-2.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-03-13T12:57:11+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/#\/schema\/person\/3466e6c200ea84e8f840ef9de6a6c11d\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2018\/03\/13\/wales-poisoned-plastics-say-campaigners\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2018\/03\/13\/wales-poisoned-plastics-say-campaigners\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2018\/03\/13\/wales-poisoned-plastics-say-campaigners\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/Basket-1-2.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2018\/03\/Basket-1-2.jpg\",\"width\":2416,\"height\":1812},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2018\/03\/13\/wales-poisoned-plastics-say-campaigners\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Wales is being poisoned by plastics, say campaigners\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/\",\"name\":\"The Cardiffian\",\"description\":\"Just another JOMEC Sites Network site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/#\/schema\/person\/3466e6c200ea84e8f840ef9de6a6c11d\",\"name\":\"Laura Clements\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/068ccae259db9e23858ead45fdb7af62\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/37377a82c63bb8b613f1ae972d7486c9c097daf62a872d87f252e375a527828c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/37377a82c63bb8b613f1ae972d7486c9c097daf62a872d87f252e375a527828c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Laura Clements\"},\"description\":\"Laura Clements is currently studying at the School of Journalism at Cardiff University. 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