The new EU directive adopted mid-December bans several single-use plastic items including plates, cutlery and expanded polystyrene food containers and beverage cups. Member States have two years to transpose it into national laws.
Manufacturers will have to pay for waste management and clean-up of several single-use plastic items, including cigarette butts and fishing gear.
There is no binding EU-wide target to reduce the consumption of food containers and cups, and no obligation for EU countries to adopt targets; there is a delay of four years on ensuring that 90 per cent of plastic bottles are collected separately – from 2025 to 2029.
REFS
