Negotiators take key step towards landmark treaty to end plastic waste

A Hindu devotee throws flowers and plastic bags into river Brahmaputra in Gauhati, India (AP)

Global negotiators have agreed to craft an initial draft treaty to end plastic pollution, a preliminary but crucial step towards tackling one of the longest-lasting sources of human waste.

Environmental advocates have cautiously welcomed the outcome of five days of UN talks in Paris on plastic pollution, but expressed concern that the petroleum industry and some governments would water down the eventual treaty.