Over 70% of the Netherlands wants to ban single-use plastic

A massive 71 percent of Netherlands residents want a ban on single-use plastics as soon as possible. And 84 percent believe that manufacturers and retailers are responsible for reducing, reusing, and recycling plastic packaging - not individual consumers, market research firm IPSOS found in a survey for The Plastic Free Foundation and WWF.

According to Oskar de Roos, a plastic expert at World Wildlife Fund Netherlands (WWF-NL), the people of the Netherlands are sending a clear message. "A better environment starts with the government and the business community and not with consumers," he said in a press release. "The current plastic crisis is too big for this."

"We see that the Dutch government's current focus on voluntary participation and recycling is insufficient." De Roos called it fantastic to see how much support the Netherlands has for firm, far-reaching measures. "We hope that the Dutch Cabinet feels supported by this and that it will commit to solid international agreements during the UN summit in Kenya at the end of this month."

IPSOS surveyed 20,513 respondents in 28 countries on single-use plastics for The Plastic Free Foundation and WWF. On average, 90 percent of respondents called an internationally binding treaty important in the fight against the plastic crisis.