Queen Elizabeth is behind a royal push to cut plastic waste

London

QUEEN Elizabeth has long expressed admiration for David Attenborough, an environmentalist with a track record of creating beautiful, compelling movies about our planet.

Most recently, he produced a conservation series called Blue Planet II. The seven-part documentary, which was broadcast on the BBC last year, showcased the weird and wonderful species of the oceans. But it also explored the disastrous effects of waste on the world's waters.

The show was a hit in Britain, and it spurred top officials to take a serious look at reducing plastic waste. Britain's environmental secretary, for example, told reporters that he was "haunted" by the programme and that his department is considering initiatives such as a national bottle-return system, an increase in drinking-water fountains an…