Disposable tableware and microplastics in cosmetics banned in the European Union

The European Parliament adopted the final version of the plastic strategy of the European Union. According to the new document, the EU will ban plastic disposable tubes, Cutlery, cotton buds and microplastics in cosmetics and detergents, as well as biodegradable plastic, writes Recycle with reference to Euraktiv.

The strategy is based on the idea of a cyclical economy: to produce less waste, and to recycle most of the waste. 597 MEPs voted for the strategy, only 15 against.

“We eat, drink and breathe plastic every day. On the other hand, without plastic we can not imagine our life: with it we can, for example, store blood at blood transfusion stations or avoid spoilage of products. But it’s about changing the way we deal with plastic and its consequences. We need to change the production and consumption of plastic,” said the MEP Karl — Heinz Florenz.

A separate point of the strategy, which the deputies will finalize in the near future, is the use of biodegradable plastic. According to the Parliament, biodegradable polymers do not solve the problem of plastic pollution and should not be used in the European Union.

“It is important that the EU does not consider biodegradable goods to be an adequate replacement for disposable plastic. It really is a fake alternative: biodegradable polymers or break into micro-plastic particles, adding to plastic pollution, or literally made from food such as corn starch,” — said Alexey Kiselev, an expert of the project “Zero waste”, Greenpeace.