EU agrees to ban plastic cutlery and straws

Ambassadors of the EU countries approved the agreement of the European Parliament and EU countries on new regulations to reduce the amount of plastic litter reaching the seas.  Plastic plates, straws or hygienic sticks, among others, will be banned in the EU.

In May, the European Commission proposed a ban on single-use plastics. The bill targets ten plastic products as well as abandoned fishing gear, e.g. nets.  The measure is a response to an alarming increase in plastic waste in the seas and oceans, which accounts for 70 percent of all marine litter. Experts indicate that parts of plastic waste get into our lungs and reach the tables by the fact that plastic micro-particles are present in the air, water, and food.