The European Commission has proposed rules to cut use of single use plastics including the ban on cutlery, straws, drink stirrers and reduced use on food and drink containers and cups.
The new proposal focuses on the 10 single-use plastic products most often found on Europe’s beaches and seas as well as lost and abandoned fishing gear.
The new rules are proportionate and tailored to get the best results. Where alternatives are readily available and affordable, single-use plastic products will be banned from the market. For other products, measures will be taken to limit their use through a national reduction in consumption; design and labelling requirements and waste management/clean up obligations for producers.
First Vice-President Frans Timmermans, responsible for sustainable development said: "This Commission promised to be big on the big issues and leave the rest to Member States. 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."