Secretary of State Mike Pompeo promised Tuesday that the United States would not scuttle international efforts to curb plastic pollution, amid complaints that Washington is impeding the growing consensus on the need to clean up the world's oceans.

When asked at a Senate hearing if the United States was holding back international efforts to make headway on the issue, Pompeo said: "This is important. This is a priority."

"I hope my team's not dragging their feet," he added.

"We ought not be doing that, and I will do more than discourage it if in fact I find that's the case," Pompeo said, without promising specific policy actions.

About eight million tonnes of plastic end up in the oceans each year, killing or injuring a million birds and more than 100,000 marine mammals, according to UN figures.

Pompeo was responding to Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, who said that US lawmakers across party lines agreed on the need to curb plastic pollution.

"Yet I keep reading news clips that say where we're negotiating on these issues internationally, it's always the US that is dragging on that," said Whitehouse, a Democrat.

Last month, around 180 governments — but not the United States — agreed in talks in Geneva to create a legally binding framework to regulate plastic waste.

The United States did not vote as it is not party to the Basel Convention, a UN treaty reached in 1989 that regulates the movement of hazardous waste.

But environmental activists say that the United States discouraged other countries from toughening the Basel treaty, arguing that more time is needed.

Japan, like the United States a major plastic consumer, has voiced hope for an agreement on reducing the waste when it welcomes world leaders for the Group of 20 summit in Osaka later this month.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday that his country would ban single-use plastics from 2021, including bags, straws, cutlery and plates.

Aldi to charge 'symbolic' cent for produce bags in Germany
Berlin (AFP) June 11, 2019 –

Supermarket giant Aldi said Tuesday it is replacing free plastic produce bags in its German stores for ones made from recyclable material — sold for a "symbolic" single cent — to go more green.

"From summer of 2019, bags made from a renewable raw material will be available for one cent in all branches," Aldi said in a statement.

"The advantage of the bag is that no crude oil is used in production," replaced with a by-product of sugar cane manufacturing, Aldi added.

The supermarket group — which is divided into north and south branches in Germany — has seen sales of plastic carrier bags drop by two thirds in recent years since retailers started charging customers for them.

However, consumption of free, thin, transparent plastic bags for fruit, vegetables and baked goods has only slightly decreased, according to the German government.

"The figures confirm that the pricing of plastic bags has visibly prompted consumers to rethink," said Aldi group buying director Kristina Bell.

"We will follow a similar principle with the symbolic cent for our disposable fruit and vegetable bags."

Aldi has also announced that it is trialing biodegradable and paper bags at its UK stores.

Worldwide, the Aldi group operates over 10,000 stores, around 4,000 of which are in Germany.