Ecology, EU – Baltic States, Legislation, Retail
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Friday, 26.04.2024, 13:45
EU countries back single-use plastics ban
The approval by the 28 member states follows an overwhelming vote in the European Parliament last week to ban single-use plastic items such as straws, cutlery, cotton buds and balloon sticks.
Work will begin next week to draft detailed legislation with a view to
agreeing a text in December and having it enter into law in 2021.
The European Council, which groups the member states, supported ending
the use of plastic products for which there are sustainable alternatives and
wants to go further in apportioning responsibility for clearing up waste.
While the European Commission, the bloc's executive arm, has suggested
that clean-up costs should be paid by plastic producers, the council wants to
see companies which import and sell the products pay a share as well.
The council also called for national targets to cut the consumption of
single-use plastics where there is currently no environmentally-friendly
alternative.
The commission has said single-use plastics account for some 70% of the
waste in the oceans and beaches, and research last week appeared to show for
the first time the widespread presence of plastics in the human food chain.