Drinking cocktails through a straw? Using cheap plastic cutlery for the picnic? Of course – what else? But keeping in line with the EU will mean this is soon a thing of the past. Certain plastic products should be taken completely off the market to afford the environment and marine animals greater protection. The Commission recommendation was put forward in May, now all that remains is to convince the Member States or at least to come to some form of compromise. If everything goes according to plan, a new law will come into effect in 2021. Then it will be the end of the road for earbuds and plastic cutlery. Fast-food boxes made from expanded plastic could also be targeted by a new regulation.

Our opinion on this:

Finally, one could say. But again, this is only a part solution that is happening here. Too much remains in the hands of the individual States, once again one is talking about recommendations rather than mandatory guidelines. As an example, plastic-free cigarette filters already exist. However, most are still produced using plastic. While one single cigarette butt can pollute up to 1000 l of water. The EU has only named the date by which it would like these filters largely to be eliminated: 2030. And there we ask ourselves whether the lobbyists have had a hand in things once again?