The document, "The Reusable solutions: How governments can help stop single-use plastic pollution", is the responsibility of the coalitions "Break Free From Plastic Europe" (a global movement created in 2016) and "Rethink Plastic Alliance" (alliance of European NGOs), two organizations to which the Portuguese environmentalist association Zero belongs.
The report, cited by Zero, guarantees that reuse is the real alternative to disposable plastic and this can be applied to disposable plates, glasses, utensils and drinks and take-away packages.
The document cited by Zero states that in the search for alternatives to plastics, many of the solutions found so far are nothing more than the replacement of a disposable product with another of the same nature.
The report gives as good examples of reuse the ReCup' glass, which is used in some 3,000 establishments in more than 450 cities in Germany, where a deposit is paid for the glass and returned on delivery to one of the network's establishments.
In Brussels 1,500 kg of packaging waste is avoided every year through the "Tiffin" initiative, reusable metal packaging for take away, and in Germany 99% of glass bottles are returned for reuse.
Initiatives that focus on reuse and have a positive impact need to be supported with public policies, says Zero, adding: "Promoting reusable solutions will allow Portugal to significantly reduce pollution from the use of disposables, will reduce council costs in cleaning up public spaces and will promote local employment".
Zero proposes legislation to make the use of dishes, glasses and other reusable utensils mandatory in restaurants, whenever consumption is on site, setting the goal of reducing the consumption of glasses and containers for disposable food (take away) by 50% by 2025 and 80% by 2030.
Among other measures, Zero also proposes the introduction of deposit systems for packaging and reusable utensils, the introduction of charging for disposable solutions, and that disposables subject to restrictions are not replaced by other disposables, such as replacing plastic with bamboo.