The European Parliament has overwhelmingly backed a wide-ranging ban on single-use plastics to counter pollution in seas, fields and waterways.
The ban would affect a range of products for which valid alternatives are available — from plastic straws to earbuds and plates — as of 2021 and would make sure that plastic bottles are 90% recycled by 2025.
New EU rules, adopted by MEPs on 24 October, tackle lost fishing gear and the 10 single-use plastic products most widely found on European shores. Together these two groups account for 70% of marine litter. https://t.co/MuxLbTd02b pic.twitter.com/et1jCsuUcT
— European Parliament (@Europarl_EN) October 24, 2018
Under the plan, fishing nets, which are now a key pollutant in the EU’s Mediterranean sea and Atlantic ocean, will have to be produced differently, too.
The parliament backed the proposals with a 571-53 majority. With the vote, the parliament, the EU Commission and the member states will now enter negotiations in the weeks to come to make it binding legislation.
