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Prohibition of single-use plastics and Roll Back of Morelos Waste Law

In January 2020, a ban on single-use plastics came into force in the territory of Morelos, Mexico, leaving 90 days for the development of the regulations of the Morelos Waste Law. This Law would establish the rules to materialize said ban, which, among other things, also established the obligation for commercial establishments to submit a single-use plastics substitution program to the environmental authority. However, local authorities aimed to publish a regulation that would establish exceptions to the prohibition for hygiene and safety reasons, which would leave the door open for large companies to continue giving these plastics to consumers, rendering the prohibition ineffective.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of plastics increased, with the idea that it is a COVID security measure offered by supermarkets and food stores, sending the message to the public that the use of plastics is safe.

With this project, NGO Acción Ecológica carried out advocacy work with local legislators to enforce the single-use plastics ban approved in the Morelos Waste Law, and undertook awareness-raising among the population about the deregulation and the real dangers of plastic to health, especially to women and children, and the environment.

This project contributed to Sustainable Development Goals 3, 6, 12, 13, 14, 15.

Special thanks to IPEN's Latin America & the Caribbean Regional Coordinator Fernando Bejarano and Regional Hub RAPAM for their important contributions to the development and finalization of the project.

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