That’s according to a survey by NGO Oceancare released Monday. Headquartered in Switzerland, the international organization has campaigned for a global plastics agreement to include plastic. According to the survey by the research institute gfs.bern, Switzerland sees the biggest problem in plastic packaging. In particular, double packaging is deemed unnecessary (34 percent) and there is “too much packaging” in general (30 percent).
Plastic is less of a concern in Switzerland
Interestingly, the plastic problem has been shown to be of particular concern to the older generation. This is unlike most public climate debates, which are strongly driven by young actors.
The Swiss are particularly concerned about plastic waste in the seas. Normally, in surveys, the study’s authors write that “the closer the problem, the greater the concern.” Surprisingly, however, the opposite is true for plastic. 73 percent of Swiss people perceive plastic in the seas and beaches as more problematic than plastic in Swiss nature.
Plastic pollution in the Swiss countryside affects only half (54 percent) of those surveyed, and plastics in local drinking water affect even fewer people (43 percent).
Environmental protection could be better
According to the NGO, most respondents underestimate how much plastic they actually use each year. It’s actually 125 kilos instead of the estimated 100 kilos.
According to Oceancare, the population still has room to improve when it comes to implementing environmental protection measures. While Swiss people are clearly aware of the plastic problem, 93 percent waste sorting is the only firmly fixed measure in the majority of the population.
Only half of residents avoid waste when shopping (59 percent), they already shop less (56 percent) and don’t use single-use plastic (54 percent).
Tougher laws are welcome
More than half of Switzerland is seeking drastic measures and interventions to ban microplastics from consumer goods, halt plastic production in general, and reasonably reduce consumption of single-use plastics.
When it comes to legally binding measures, generations are different: the older generation favors the consistent application of existing laws to prevent plastic pollution. Young people, on the other hand, want broader laws.
The more sympathy someone on the left of the party spectrum, the more likely they are to vote for stricter measures against plastic pollution. Almost 50 percent of respondents want Switzerland to play a leading role in the international plastics treaty.
According to Oceancare, about 9 million tons of plastic end up in the world’s oceans each year. In the Mediterranean alone, approximately 17,600 tons of plastic waste is generated each year.
Millions of tons of plastic waste are found in five large pieces of garbage. The Pacific eddy is almost forty times larger than Switzerland.
(SDA)