560 MEPs voted in favour of the agreement with EU
ministers, 35 against and 28 abstained.
The following products will be banned in the EU by 2021:
- Single-use plastic cutlery (forks, knives, spoons and
chopsticks)
- Single-use plastic plates
- Plastic straws
- Cotton bud sticks made of plastic
- Plastic balloon sticks
- Oxo-degradable plastics and food containers and
expanded polystyrene cups
New recycling target and more responsibility for
producers
Member states will have to achieve a 90% collection target
for plastic bottles by 2029, and plastic bottles will have
to contain at least 25% of recycled content by 2025 and 30%
by 2030.
The agreement also strengthens the application of the
polluter pays principle, in particular for tobacco, by
introducing extended responsibility for producers. This new
regime will also apply to fishing gear, to ensure that
manufacturers, and not fishermen, bear the costs of
collecting nets lost at sea.
The legislation finally stipulates that labelling on the
negative environmental impact of throwing cigarettes with
plastic filters in the street should be mandatory, as well
as for other products such as plastic cups, wet wipes and
sanitary napkins.
Lead MEP Frédérique
Ries (ALDE, BE) said: “This legislation will
reduce the environmental damage bill by €22 billion - the
estimated cost of plastic pollution in Europe until 2030.
Europe now has a legislative model to defend and promote at
international level, given the global nature of the issue
of marine pollution involving plastics. This is essential
for the planet.”
Background
According to the European
Commission, more than 80% of marine litter is plastics.
The products covered by this new law constitute 70% of all
marine litter items. Due to its slow rate of decomposition,
plastic accumulates in seas, oceans and on beaches in the
EU and worldwide. Plastic residue is found in marine
species – such as sea turtles, seals, whales and birds, but
also in fish and shellfish, and therefore in the human food
chain.
