EC is taking further steps for the new strategy in plastic packaging
A new strategy has been adopted by the European Commission (EC) in order to protect the environment from plastic pollution.
New rules will be enforced in 2018 and 2019 for the EU Member States aiming to reduce plastic litter in land, air and sea, as presented by EC First Vice-President Frans Timmermans and Vice-President Jyrki Katainen in a press release.
"The only long-term solution is to reduce plastic waste by recycling and reusing more. This is a challenge that citizens, industry and governments must tackle together.", mentioned Timmermans. With the plastic strategy, the Commission has adopted a Monitoring Framework, composed of a set of ten key indicators which cover each phase of the cycle, which will measure progress towards the transition to a circular economy at EU and national level.
New measures to restrict the use of microplastics in products, and fix labels for biodegradable and compostable plastics will be presented this, along with other aiming for curb plastic waste.
New rules on packaging will be developed to improve the recyclability of plastics used on the market and increase the demand for recycled plastic content. This will save around a hundred euros per tonne collected, according to the officials.
Also, the Commission will provide guidance for national authorities and European businesses on how to minimise plastic waste at source. Support for innovation will be scaled up, with an additional €100 million financing the development of smarter and more recyclable plastics materials, making recycling processes more efficient, and tracing and removing hazardous substances and contaminants from recycled plastics.
A new Directive on port reception facilities that will tackle sea-based marine litter is going to the European Parliament and Council for adoption. The single-use plastic policy will be presented later this year, while a revised version of Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive and new guidelines on separate collection and sorting of waste are to be issued in 2019.
(Photo source: Pixabay)
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