The European Union (EU) has made a decision to provisionally ban single-use plastic products in a groundbreaking decision. This agreement will hopefully have a significant impact on decreassing plastic pollution.
To mitigate the impacts of plastic pollution EU member states have signed off on a provisional agreement calling for a ban of some single use plastics. Learn more: https://t.co/azoR3oPWho #MicroPlastics #PlasticPollution #MarinePlastics pic.twitter.com/GfYGmVt4ky
— PerkinElmer (@PerkinElmer) January 27, 2019
The directive is part of the European Plastic Strategy and was signed by The Council and the European Parliament.
Restrictions have been placed on the use of plastic cutlery, plastic plates and plastic straws and other plastic products like plastic cotton bud sticks and expanded polystyrene. By 2021 the products will be completely removed from Europe. The goal of the directive is environmental sustainability by reducing marine pollution, as these items make up 70% of all marine pollution items according to the European Commission.
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has announced that in 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish, if drastic measures aren’t taken.
Large plastic pieces are detrimental to the ocean and its marine life, polluting and killing endangered and non endangered species alike. In the Mediterranean sea specifically, the concentration of micro-plastics is increasing at an alarming rate of 1.25 million fragments per km². These micro-plastic fragments are then ending up inside fish and other sea creatures, which are caught and consumed by humans.
Also read: Why tiny microbeads are a huge problem
“We have adopted the most ambitious legislation against single-use plastics,” Frédérique Ries, the MEP who proposed the bill, said in a statement. “It is essential in order to protect the marine environment and reduce the costs of environmental damage attributed to plastic pollution in Europe, estimated at 22 billion euros by 2030.”
If you are looking for alternative items that will help reduce your own personal single-use plastic use, start off by swapping out the plastic straw for a sustainable straw-alternative. Here are a few recommendations for plastic straw alternatives.
The movement toward eco-bricking has also gained major momentum. South Africans are filling two-liter bottles with household, single use plastics. The EcoBricks are then dropped off at collection points and are then used to build classrooms and other up-cycled structures. Read about items that can be used in EcoBricks and the stats behind the benefits here.
Image source: Instagram: @tozerowasteliving
