Austria's cabinet has approved ambitious plans to ban non-biodegradable plastic bags, following in the footsteps of France and Italy.

According to the government, the ban would see a massive drop in the amount of plastic waste produced by the land-locked alpine nation by between 5,000 and 7,000 tons annually.

The new legislation passed by Austria's centre-right government on Wednesday is expected to be introduced at the beginning of 2020.

Austria's Cabinet has approved plans to ban all non-biodegradable plastic bags from 2020, which will cut the country's plastic litter and hopefully save more marine animals from dying after accidentally eating the masses of plastic rubbish strewn in our oceans

The scourge of plastic in our oceans According to the European Commission, more than 80% of marine litter is plastics. The products covered by these restrictions constitute 70% of all marine litter items. Due to its slow rate of decomposition, plastic accumulates in seas, oceans and on beaches in the EU and worldwide. Plastic residue is found in marine species – such as sea turtles, seals, whales and birds, but also in fish and shellfish, and therefore in the human food chain. Source: European Parliament Advertisement

Vienna also plans to ban the addition of tiny plastic particles to cosmetic and cleaning products if the European Union fails to come up with a solution for this issue before 2020.

In October, European lawmakers backed an EU ban on single-use plastics from 2021.

This includes single-use straws, plates, cutlery, stirrers and cotton buds, which the EU says makes up 70 percent of all marine litter.

MEPs also added to this list, products made of oxo-degradable plastics, such as bags or packaging and fast-food containers made of expanded polystyrene.

Scientists have proven that it takes a plastic carrier bag longer than other bags, which can cause irreversible damage wildlife.

What other measures will be included in the proposed EU 2021 plastic ban: National reduction targets for other non-banned plastics The consumption of several other items, for which no alternative exists, will have to be reduced by member states by least 25% by 2025. This includes single-use burger boxes, sandwich boxes or food containers for fruits, vegetables, desserts or ice creams. Member states will draft national plans to encourage the use of products suitable for multiple use, as well as re-using and recycling. Other plastics, such as beverage bottles, will have to be collected separately and recycled at a rate of 90% by 2025. Cigarette butts and lost fishing gear

MEPs agreed that reduction measures should also cover waste from tobacco products, in particular cigarette filters containing plastic. It would have to be reduced by 50% by 2025 and 80% by 2030. One cigarette butt can pollute between 500 and 1000 litres of water, and thrown on the roadway, it can take up to twelve years to disintegrate. They are the second most littered single-use plastic items. Member states should also ensure that at least 50% of lost or abandoned fishing gear containing plastic is collected per year, with a recycling target of at least 15% by 2025. Fishing gear represents 27% of waste found on Europe’s beaches. Making producers more accountable Member states would have to ensure that tobacco companies cover the costs of waste collection for those products, including transport, treatment and litter collection. The same goes for producers of fishing gear containing plastic, who will need to contribute to meeting the recycling target. Source: European Parliament Advertisement

Meanwhile, in England, large shops have been charging shoppers 5p for all single-use plastic carrier bags since 2015. Similar charges are also applicable in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The number of plastic bags used in England has sharply dropped by some 80 percent since the government introduced the charge.

According to UK government data, over 7.6 billion single-use plastic bags were given to customers by major supermarkets in England in 2014, approximately 140 bags per person or the equivalent of about 61,000 tonnes of plastic.