独家 The city-state's drinks container return scheme has been pushed back – the latest in a series of delays. Industry sources point to Coca-Cola being instrumental in stalling an Extender Producer Responsibility scheme that aims to improve Singapore's poor plastics recycling rate.

The number of plastics industry participants at the latest round of negotiations has increased by 37 per cent. Lobbyists are pushing recycling as a remedy to the plastic crisis, which NGOs decry as a "false solution" and demand deep cuts in polymer production to meet climate goals. Some fear that a legally binding treaty is unlikely.

The city's disposable tableware ban which comes into force today has spooked small retailers over the price of "sustainable" items. Limited composting facilities is another concern. But NGOs hail the territory for the scope and breadth of measures to cut plastic pollution.

Filipinos want efforts to tackle ocean pollution to focus on plastic production cuts, a survey by Greenpeace found ahead of the penultimate meeting for the first ever pact on plastic trash. But environmentalists fret that negotiators are prioritising waste recovery instead.