A plan to reduce plastics in the EU by 2030, which aims to create new investment opportunities and jobs alongside environmental protection, has been presented by the European Commission.
According to Commission figures, Europeans produce 25 million tonnes of plastic waste each year and less than 30% of this is promoted for recycling.
Worldwide, plastics make up 85% of beach waste.
Plastic materials end up in our plate as well as in our lungs. In fact, the microplastics contained in air, water and food have unknown effects on our health.
The plastic reduction strategy presented by the Commission proposes new rules for the design and production of plastic products and packaging in order to improve their recycling capacity.
The Commission estimates that increasing the amount of plastic material collected for recycling will lead to improved and upgraded recycling facilities, as well as an improved and standardized system for separate waste sorting and sorting across the EU.
Following the significant reduction in plastic bag use in several Member States, the new EU strategy is now turning to other disposable plastic products.
EUR 100 million funding for the development of smarter plastic materials
New measures are proposed to limit the use of microplastics in products and to define labeling requirements for “biodegradable” and “compostable” plastic materials, as well as new rules to ensure that waste generated by ships or collected by the sea they will not be left there but will be transported ashore, where they will be treated appropriately.
In addition, the Commission proposes to provide both technical and financial support to national authorities and European companies to reduce plastic waste at source, by providing € 100 million in funding for the development of smarter, more recyclable plastic materials, the efficiency of recycling processes and the monitoring and removal of hazardous substances and contaminants from recycled plastics.
“Unless we change the way plastic materials are produced and used, by 2050 the oceans will contain more plastic than fish. We must block the entry of plastic materials into water, food, and even our bodies. The only long-term solution is to reduce plastic waste by increasing recycling and re-use. We must all meet this challenge together, citizens, industries and governments, ”said Commission Vice President Frans Timmers, responsible for Sustainable Development.
For his part, Vice President Yurki Katainen, responsible for Employment, Development, and Investment, said the goal is to lay the foundations of a new circular economy for plastic materials and to promote investment in this area. “This is an important opportunity for the European industry to become the world’s leader in new technologies and materials,” said Commissioner Katainen.