National Geographic’s ‘Planet or Plastic?’ seems to be working as EU becomes as the first global region to announce its plan of banning all plastic straws and cutlery by 2021 in an effort to reduce pollution in the oceans.

EU Proposes Ban on Plastic Goods

More than 70 per cent of the marine litter consists of one-time use plastic cutlery, straws, cups and disposable fishing gear which is turning into a huge environmental and health crisis. The European Commission recently proposed a ban on 10 of the most common plastic products found in the oceans.

Commission’s vice president, Jyrki Katainen, says that non-recyclable plastic goods are so commonly used in the society but no one stops and asks where all this plastic goes after being used and discarded. The truth is that the waste remains on our planet, littering the land and the waters, and becoming a deadly trap for marine life. Katainen says that EU plans on phasing out single-use plastic products in favor of economical and environmentally friendly alternatives like recyclable plastics.

The new proposal is likely to spur investment in creating green packaging in the bloc, and companies like Starbucks have already taken the initiative by offering $10 million to anyone who comes up with a way to make their coffee cups more eco-friendly.

According to the announcement made on Monday, the proposed initiative would ban plastic products like drink stirrers, cups, plates, straws, cotton buds, cutlery, balloon sticks and all other items that can be replaced with sustainable alternatives. Other hard plastic items like storage boxes and reusable bottles will also be phased out once the commission has found alternatives for them.

A Global Change

With plastic pollution becoming a huge environmental problem, governments around the world are planning to implement policies to ban single-use plastic goods that are being thrown in the oceans. In UK, retailers and supermarkets are already eliminating all unnecessary plastic from their products and are aiming to become plastic-free by 2025. New York has also vowed to reduce plastic waste by banning the use of single-use drink straws.

Other governments are also taking drastic measures to curb the impending environmental crisis. In Kenya, policymakers have introduced a new law under which anyone found selling goods in plastic bags is subject to heavy fines and up to 4 years in prison.

Many environmentalists argue that banning plastic goods is not enough to solve the waste problem. Instead of taking goods out of the market, lawmakers should focus their investments on creating efficient waste management and recycling systems.

UK’s PlasticsEurope head, Kim Christiansen, says that as an organization that represents plastic manufacturers in Europe, her company is in a position to make a significant contribution to the no-plastic initiative, but banning certain products might create another economic crisis. Christiansen urges the government to ‘avoid shortcuts’ and find a more long-term solution to the problem.

End of the Plastic Era?

More than one-fourth of the plastic produced around the world is used in packaging products, reveals Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s study, and in Europe alone, more than 26 million tons of plastic waste is generated. 40 per cent of the waste is destroyed, 30 per cent recycled, and 31 per cent dumped in landfills.

There is a significant pushback from packaging firms like Tetrapack, which risk running out of business if the new ban is implemented in Europe. The company tried defending its plastic products last year but only recently vowed to manufacture eco-friendly straws made out of paper for its milk and juice boxes. Campaigners say that Tetrapack’s initiative is commendable but more extreme measures must be taken to save the planet’s marine life.

Rethink Plastic, a campaign group in Europe said that the ban on the use of plastic products could be groundbreaking but the commission must find a way to eliminate the use of plastic cups and containers which are popularly used in European countries and cause significant damage to the environment.

The commission also proposes a new rule under which countries are required to collect at least 90 per cent of the plastic waste and hand it in to recycling firms to minimize pollution. The commission is hopeful that the EU members states and parliament will approve the proposal within the next year.