On 3 July 2021, the use of disposable plastic was banned in Norway. This means, among other things, that cutlery, plates and straws made of plastic are no longer allowed. Since the ban was introduced, the Armed Forces has been working to find a replacement for the plastic spoons. They depend on disposable spoons used in the rations they send out in the field. Four alternatives have been tried. No one has lived up to the requirements. The latter option has worked well, but is made from a material called CPLA. It is considered plastic under the Plastics Directive, and is therefore not a possible alternative. Tromsø-based Drytech, which supplies the field rations to the Armed Forces, has now received permission from the Norwegian Environment Agency to use 400,000 plastic spoons. Temporary solution – We have worked with the Armed Forces for several years to find an alternative that is within the regulations and that meets the requirements we have for this product, without success, says Hild-Elin Husby, head of product development at Drytech. She explains that the biggest challenge is that the spoon should be used to prepare dishes with boiling water. The spoon types that have been tested are damaged or change shape during use. Therefore, they wanted permission to use plastic spoons. Both Drytech and the Armed Forces are clear that the permit to use plastic spoons does not mean that they give up looking for environmentally friendly alternatives. – We know that there is a lot of development in this area after the ban came into force. We hope that there will soon be a satisfactory solution that is not made of plastic, says Husby. Jannicke Hauan Strand, communications consultant at Forsvarsmateriell, says that they want to make sure that the plastic spoons do not affect the environment. – The Armed Forces’ routines for waste management ensure that the spoons are not left in nature, she emphasizes. Good reasons for the exception The product regulations § 2b-3 The Armed Forces and Drytech have been granted an exemption from. Hege Rooth Olbergsveen, head of the section for circular economy in the Norwegian Environment Agency. Photo: EU delegation – The Norwegian Environment Agency considers that in this case there are special reasons to grant a dispensation from the ban, writes from Hege Rooth Olbergsveen, head of the section for circular economy in the Norwegian Environment Agency, in an e-mail to NRK. In the assessment, they have emphasized that there is a limited number of disposable spoons. The spoons must also only be used in the Armed Forces’ field rations. The Armed Forces’ handling of rubbish is also pointed out as important. The packages with plastic spoons will not be available to anyone other than the Armed Forces. – We therefore consider that the dispensation will not entail a risk of environmental impact such as littering or spreading of microplastics, Olbergsveen writes.
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May use plastic spoons – NRK Troms and Finnmark
