Six days ago I made a post about the problem called; Plastic Soup:
https://steemit.com/livesustainably/@sustainancy/plastic-soup
Yesterday there was news from the European Union. A (little) step forward
nationalegroenekadobon.nl
The European Commission is fighting against plastic soup.
Europe tackles Single Use Plastics (SUP). A number of plastic products, such as disposable cutlery, stirrers, cotton swabs and straws, are completely prohibited. There are alternatives for these products. Other plastic products are labeled to inform buyers, others need to be better designed.
voordeelmuis.nl
Producers are made responsible for the waste phase of their SUP products. In 2025, for example, 90 percent of the plastic bottles must be collected by the producers. The European Commission considers this feasible with deposit systems. Producers will also start paying for cleaning up stray plastic, including cigarette filters. The plans are based on the plastic items that are most commonly found on beaches. To prevent fishing tackle from ending up in the sea, specific rules are proposed.
jessevandervelde.com
According to European Commissioner Frans Timmermans, the proposed Directive is very ambitious. It would even be the world's most ambitious legislative measures to defuse the plastic crisis. "Europe is leading the way", he said during the press conference. The citizens in Europe have given the Commission the mandate for this. Timmermans pointed out that 95 percent of Europeans consider measures against SUP as necessary and urgent.
vantraditienaarambitie.blogspot.com
Is it enough?
However ambitious the proposal might be, the crucial question is whether it is ambitious enough. The banning of only a few plastic products is above all a symbolic measure. The large quantities of (unnecessary) packaging plastic, 59 percent of all plastics, is hardly or not restricted. No concrete reduction targets have been formulated and the emphasis is on recycling rather than reduction. There are more notable shortcomings. While the Commission says that people's health is an important starting point, there is nothing about reducing harmful chemical additives, including hormone-disrupting substances. A proposal for a European tax on plastic is missing. Any tax measures are left to the Member States.
karellurvink.nl
source; plasticsoupfoundation.org