187 countries sign plastic waste agreement

Nearly every country in the world agreed to a new provision in a treaty that would aim to limiting plastic waste pollution, but the U.S. was not among them, as it has not ratified a treaty to which the provision was added.

The governments of 187 countries agreed to add plastic to the United Nations-supported Basel Convention, which regulates the transfer of certain materials between borders, CNN reported Saturday. 

The U.S. did not participate in the talks regarding plastic because it is one of just two countries that has not ratified the treaty, according to CNN. Even though the U.S. did not ratify the treaty, its trades with countries that have approved the deal will be affected. 

{mosads}According to ABC News, several industries will be affected by the move, including health care, technology, food and fashion. 

“It’s sending a very strong political signal to the rest of the world — to the private sector, to the consumer market — that we need to do something,” Rolph Payet of the United Nations Environment Program told ABC. “Countries have decided to do something which will translate into real action on the ground.”

He also said it would create a “transparent and traceable system for the export and import of plastic waste.”

The Basel Convention was adopted in 1989 and aims to control  transboundary movements of hazardous wastes and their disposal.