PlasticsEurope (Brussels / Belgium; www.plasticseurope.org) has published a report on its efforts in 2018 as part of “Operation Clean Sweep” (OCS), an international programme aiming to prevent plastic pellets from entering the environment – see Plasteurope.com of 10.11.2017. The number of OCS signatories in Europe doubled last year to more than 500 companies, and more than 98% of total European plastics production has committed to the programme, PlasticsEurope said.

In order to prevent spillages, the pellet-handling companies commit to the following six actions:

• improving worksite set-up to prevent and address spills,
• creating and publishing internal procedures to achieve zero industrial plastic material loss,
• providing employee training and accountability for spill prevention, containment, clean-up and disposal,
• auditing performance regularly,
• complying with all applicable state and local regulations governing industrial plastics containment and
• encouraging partners (contractors, transporters, distributors, among others) to pursue the same goals.

During 2019, PlasticsEurope will focus on developing various tools such as a best practices catalogue, a common-self assessment tool and a certification scheme. It will also work towards strengthening engagement with stakeholders, including ports and clusters as well as other associations.