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POLLUTION

Plastic-free effort at royal residence failed: Crown Princess

Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit has said that she failed in an experiment to cut out the use of plastic at the royal residence at Skaugum near Oslo.

Plastic-free effort at royal residence failed: Crown Princess
Crown Princess Mette-Marit. Photo: Torstein Bøe / NTB scanpix

The Crown Princess says that she and other members of the royal family remain concerned over plastics pollution, reports broadcaster NRK.

“I made an effort to make Skaugum plastic free last year, and it didn’t go so well. I think it was incredibly difficult. It was an experiment to see how normal consumers can avoid using plastics,” Crown Princess Mette-Marit told NRK.

Known for her interest in the environment, the Crown Princess and other royals have previously been involved in initiatives to removed litter from beaches in Norway.

“The experiment inspired me to think about when plastic is a necessary product, and when it actually is not. We are in no way perfect, but I think that it is important to try and reduce the use of plastic in any case,” she said.

Plastic packaging with food and electronics products was the most difficult to avoid, according to the princess.

In interviews recorded by NRK with senior members of Norway’s royal family, King Harald described as a “wake-up call” the sight near Bergen earlier this year of a whale that had become ill after ingesting plastic.

After being forced to put down the whale, researchers found 30 plastic bags and large amounts of microplastics in the animal’s stomach.

Environmental organisation Grid has estimated that around 350 million tonnes of plastic are produced annually worldwide, with drastic increases forecast in the coming years.

15 tonnes are estimated to be dumped into the sea every minute, writes NRK.

Marine biologist Per-Erik Schulze of the Norwegian Society for the Conservation of Nature (Naturvernforbundet) told the broadcaster that the issue was critical.

“Every single minute an amount equivalent to several waste disposal trucks full of plastic goes into the sea. We can observe that it is building up and is not broken down. That cannot continue,” Schulze said.

“Several researchers say that plastic is a type of environmental pollutant. An environmental pollutant is defined as something that is persistent and difficult to break down. It is then ingested by organisms and causes harm in various ways,” he continued. 

READ ALSO: Four out of five Norwegian mussels contain plastic: report

ROYAL FAMILY

Danish queen out of hospital after back surgery

Denmark's Queen Margrethe II was discharged from hospital on Thursday after back surgery last week though a full recovery is expected to last months, the Danish Royal House announced.

Danish queen out of hospital after back surgery

The 82-year-old, Europe’s longest reigning monarch, underwent a “major” back operation last Wednesday at Rigshospitalet, the country’s largest
hospital.

“The medical team responsible for the operation and the subsequent hospitalisation is satisfied with the process and with The Queen’s condition,”
the court said in a statement.

The Danish monarch is now staying at her palace in Amalienborg and will undergo “a lengthy physical rehabilitation process, which may extend over the
next few months”, the court warned.

Crown Prince Frederik will “continue as regent for the time being.”

The palace had already announced that a number of events in its official programme would be postponed, cancelled or attended by other members of the
royal family as a result of her operation.

The exact nature of the operation has not been specified. The queen had undergone a lumbar canal operation 20 years ago.

The queen, who was widowed in 2018, is extremely popular in Denmark. More than 80 percent of Danes say they support the monarchy, with thousands turning out to celebrate her 50th anniversary on the throne last year.

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