The EU plastic waste strategy was strengthened December 19, 2018 when the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union reached a provisional political agreement to “tackle marine litter at its source, targeting the 10 plastic products most often found on our beaches as well as abandoned fishing gear … It envisages different measures to apply to different product categories.”
“Where alternatives are easily available and affordable, single-use plastic products will be banned from the market, such as plastic cotton buds, cutlery, plates, straws, drink stirrers, sticks for balloons, products made of oxo-degradable plastic and food and beverage containers made of expanded polystyrene. For other products, the focus is on limiting their use through a national reduction in consumption; on design and labelling requirements; and waste management/clean-up obligations for producers.”
The agreement must now be approved by the Parliament and Council. Following approval, the Member States will have two years to transpose the legislation into regulations.
Source: Single-use plastics: Commission welcomes ambitious agreement on new rules to reduce marine litter, December 19, 2018