Failure to agree UN treaty on plastics 'disappointing'

ENVIRONMENT minister Emma Hardy says she is “hugely disappointed” that negotiations for the world’s first treaty to combat plastic pollution ended in failure.

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Delegates were seeking to complete a legally binding international agreement after 10 days of what was meant to be the final round of UN talks in Geneva.

But the gavel came down in overtime yesterday morning with no deal reached after negotiators struggled to break a deadlock over key issues.

The biggest sticking point has been whether the treaty should impose caps on producing new plastic or focus instead on things such as better design, recycling and reuse.

In a statement, Ms Hardy said: “I’m hugely disappointed that an agreement wasn’t reached, but am extremely proud of the way the UK worked until the end to seek an ambitious and effective treaty.