Catalan government recognizes plastic pollution impact as pellet spills continue

09 Aug 2024 --- The Government of Catalonia has officially recognized the negative environmental impact of the plastic supply chain by pledging to enforce regulations against plastic pellet dumping, as spills continue on the coast of Tarragona. 

Spain-based non-profit organization Good Karma Projects and Surfrider Foundation Spain say the upcoming resolution is a milestone in recognizing that the voluntary measures adopted to date have not sufficiently mitigated plastic pollution, as the government had hoped to achieve with its mandatory preventive measures to avoid the continued dumping of pellets. 

The organizations support the resolution but believe that the administration’s role is now key to ensure that the measures are complied with and are proven to be effective.

Xavier Curto, coordinator of Surfrider Spain, tells Packaging Insights: “Associations and the social sector have promoted what we consider to be a precedent against plastic pollution. For the first time, mandatory measures are established for companies in the plastic value chain in relation to pellet dumping.”

“These measures are even ahead of European regulations. Surfrider has been lobbying for years for mandatory measures for companies. This victory would not have been possible without the joint work with Good Karma Projects and the excellent legal work of the INSTA team.”

In an official press release, the Government of Catalonia states that the resolution must contain the determination of the places where leaks and losses of grease can occur within the limits of the facilities.

The resolution must also reveal the details of handling operations, the estimated amount of pellets released into the environment and the list of equipment installed to prevent, contain and clean up leaks and losses and the procedures envisaged. 

The Catalan government stresses challenges for identifying whether pellets come from land, sea, shipping losses or other countries.Government action 
The resolution underscores the burden of resources and the importance of regulating the plastic value chain more rigorously. However, the organizations also stress that efforts to promote these changes have fallen mainly on civil society.

But Surfrider España and Good Karma Projects stress the lack of reparation measures taken by the companies that the government has recognized as responsible for the environmental damage caused. 

“Without such compensation, the costs of environmental restoration fall on the public administration and, therefore, on the citizens. Even so, it is important to recognize the work of the government for having agreed to initiate the proceedings following the report presented last year and for having carried out the appropriate investigation work and imposed obligatory prevention measures,” they say.

The Government of Catalonia outlines that among the mandatory measures, there is the hermetic closure of hoses and pipes, the use of packaging resistant to tearing, shocks and degradation in aquatic environments, sealed containers or external silos to store the product, automated transport systems and the use of cleaning systems, such as industrial vacuum cleaners and hand tools. 

“Procedures are also established to prevent losses such as limiting the volumes of grain transported and periodic inspection and maintenance of storage elements and catchment, cleaning and maintenance devices,” writes the government. 

Identifying pollution origins
The Catalan government has begun to incorporate the new environmental authorizations for infrastructure capable of working with pellets and obliging businesses to adopt these types of measures to reduce the risk of it ending up in the environment.

But it also stresses challenges for identifying the origins of pellet spill and whether these come from land, sea, shipping losses or other Mediterranean countries.

The organizations, therefore, stress the need to implement stricter and more effective regulations to address environmental pollution. 

Several of the measures are similar to those proposed in a future EU regulation, which the activists believe will set a positive precedent toward long-term environmental protection. The organizations highlight that there has been no similar action at regional, state or European level to date.

“At a key moment when the regulation of the plastic value chain is being debated, the situation in Tarragona shows the need to implement mandatory measures,” they add.

By Natalie Schwertheim