2021: Prohibition of disposable plastic

On Wednesday 27 March, the European Parliament gave the green light to a law banning disposable plastic products.

There was a large majority in favour of the law; 560 voted in favour, 35 against and 28 abstentions.

The following products will be banned within the EU by 2021: disposable plastic cutlery (forks, knives, spoons and chopsticks), disposable plates, plastic straws, plastic cotton swabs, plastic balloon sticks and oxo-biodegradable plastic, storage containers and cups made of expanded polystyrene.

New objectives

In addition to accepting the law on disposable plastic, new recycling targets have also been created. Member States must collect 90% of all plastic bottles by 2029. In addition, plastic bottles must consist of at least 25% recycled plastic by 2025, and this will rise to 30% by 2030.

More producer responsibility

Through extended producer responsibility, the polluter pays more, especially for tobacco. This rule will also apply to fishing gear, to ensure that producers and not fishermen bear the cost of collecting lost fishing nets at sea.

Finally, the law requires labelling to indicate the negative environmental impact of discarding cigarettes and plastic filters on the street. This also applies to products such as plastic cups, wet wipes and sanitary products.