1st negotiations toward UN plastic pollution treaty

More than 2,000 experts wrapped up on Friday a week of negotiations on plastic pollution. It was the first meeting of a United Nations committee set up to draft what is intended to be a landmark treaty to bring an end to plastic pollution globally.The United Nations Environment Programme held the meeting in Punta del Este, Uruguay, from Monday through Friday.

Delegates from more than 160 countries, plastic industry representatives, environmentalists, scientists, waste pickers, tribal leaders and others affected by the pollution attended in person or virtually.If an agreement is eventually adopted, it would be the first legally-binding global treaty to combat plastic pollution.The next meeting is planned for the spring.