Problems of avoidable plastic waste worldwide highlighted

British Prime Minister Theresa Mays pledge to be the first generation to leave the environment in what she calls a better place has highlighted the problems posed by plastic waste around the world.

This file 2008 photo provided by NOAA shows debris in Hanauma Bay, Hawaii Source: AAP

Ms May says she will ban avoidable plastic waste by 2042, describing the issue of single-use plastics, as one of the great environmental scourges of our time.