There are a number of things that governments can do to stem the toxic tide — from running public awareness campaigns, to offering incentives for recycling, and introducing levies or even banning certain plastic products outright.
Dozens of national and local governments around the world have already adopted policies to reduce the use of disposable plastic. And the number continues to grow. Here are some tide-turning national governments and city authorities: (from Single-Use Plastics: A Roadmap for Sustainability and news outlets)
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Ecuador
Ecuador aims to transform the remote Galápagos Islands into a plastics-free archipelago: in 2019, it said no more plastic straws, bags or bottles would be sold or used after August. Volunteers and fishermen have helped clean remote beaches while waste management services have also been reinforced. With an area of 138,000 square kilometers, the Galápagos Marine Reserve is one of the largest in the world and home to more than 2,900 species, many of which are found nowhere else. But humans are altering this pristine ecosystem: plastic rubbish from around the world washes up on beaches here, threatening vulnerable ecosystems as well as the people who depend on those ecosystems for their food and livelihoods.