At last, something we agree on! EU vows to end plastic scourge
Brussels unveils continent-wide bid to ban straws and cotton buds
BRUSSELS has laid out plans for a ban on cotton buds and plastic straws in a bid to prevent waste in ‘our air, our soil, our oceans and our food’. The European Commission proposed outlawing a range of single- use plastic products including cutlery, balloon sticks and drinks stirrers.
By 2025, it said almost all bottles should be collected for recycling – with more of the burden of clearing up waste on manufacturers.
The pledge comes after the Daily Mail’s long-running campaign to Turn The Tide On Plastic.
Led by Environment Secretary Michael Gove, the British Government has put forward plans for a number of British bans on singleuse plastic waste – including straws and cotton buds.
Yesterday Frans Timmermans, vice-president of the European Commission, said: ‘Plastic waste is undeniably a big issue and Europeans need to act together to tackle this problem, because plastic waste ends up in our air, our soil, our oceans, and in our food.
‘Today’s proposals will reduce single-use plastics on our supermarket shelves through a range of measures.
‘We will ban some of these items and substitute them with cleaner alternatives, so people can still use their favourite products.’
He suggested the EU’s ban could be in place before Britain’s, saying: ‘Let’s see who does best.
‘I invite all those who have said the EU is too slow, be they Michael Gove or anyone else, to join us in this race to the top.
‘If this is a big victory for Michael Gove I will applaud him but let’s see who gets there first.’
The EU estimates the ban will help avoid 3.4million tons of carbon emissions, prevent environmental damage that would cost £19.2billion by 2030, and save consumers billions. The plans target disposable food containers, plastic plates and cups, and fast-food packaging. Single-use plastic products with readily available alternatives would be banned – but the plan does not set a deadline for a total ban on single-use plastic items.
The proposal also requires EU countries to collect 90 per cent of single-use plastic drinks bottles by 2025. Plastic accumulating in oceans has become a major policy issue, with scientists warning of its effect on the food chain.
Research published in journal Scientific Reports estimates a plastic rubbish patch of some 79,000 tons – 1.8 trillion pieces – has formed in the Pacific. The EU proposal would need to be approved by the European Parliament and Council, and the Commission said it hoped for the plans to be given the green light before next May’s European elections.
Lasse Gustavsson, of marine conservation charity Oceana, said: ‘By reducing the amount of unnecessary plastic we produce, we can make a real difference to the global marine litter crisis. The proposed ban announced today should, however, stretch to all single-use plastic products throughout the European Union.’
Under the EU plan, food producers will have to label products clearly and inform consumers how plastic waste was disposed.
They would be given incentives to encourage them to make disposable products out of sustainable materials instead.
‘We can make a real difference’