As expected, a large majority in the European Parliament (EP) voted on 27 March in favour of the Directive on Single-Use Plastics.
The next and final step necessary for the new Directive to be officially adopted is approval from the European Council, which is expected to rubber stamp the legislation.
The compromise text, which was hammered out shortly before Christmas by representatives from the EP, the Council and the European Commission, found significant support at the EP’s plenary session.
The planned Directive will ban a number of single-use plastic products in the EU as of 2021. These include plastic straws, stir sticks, cutlery and plates as well as cotton buds with plastic stems and certain kinds of food and beverage containers made of expanded polystyrene (EPS), such as hamburger boxes.
From that date, the Directive will also prohibit all products made of oxo-biodegradable plastics from being brought onto the market in the EU.
