Before talks could even get started, the United States sent letters to at least a handful of countries urging them to reject the goal of a global pact.

Nations must resolve the global plastics crisis, the head of UN talks told negotiators from 180 countries gathered in Geneva on Tuesday to forge a landmark treaty on eliminating the life-threatening waste.

Virgin resin production caps remain in the mix in the global plastics treaty talks, but there are signs at the start of the final round in Geneva that any path to be part of any final deal could be narrowing.