Chemical News & Intelligence
July 7, 2000
LENGTH: 185 words
HEADLINE: Switzerland to lift ban on PVC bottles from Jan 2001
SOURCE: Chemical News & Intelligence
BYLINE: Anna Jagger
DATELINE: London
BODY:
The Swiss government is to lift its ban on the sale of polyvinyl
chloride (PVC) bottles, the Swiss environment agency Buwal
announced on Friday.
The decision to lift the ten-year ban was made by the Swiss Federal
Council on Wednesday (5 July), it said, and will take
effect from 1 January 2001.
Buwal said technological developments since the ban was first introduced
in 1990 have removed the environmental threat
posed by PVC bottles to the extent that the prohibition can no longer be
justified.
Switzerland introduced the ban because of problems with sorting PVC
bottles from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles
and with the release of toxic emissions during incineration.
Hans-Peter Fahrni, head of waste management at Buwal, said lifting of
the ban is not expected to lead to an increase in the
use of PVC in Switzerland. This is because prior to the ban PVC bottles
sold in Switzerland were imported from countries -
mainly France and Belgium - which have generally switched to PET. In
addition, PVC bottles would have to be sold in
Switzerland with a mandatory deposit, he said.
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