EU parliament calls for ban on single-use plastics

The European Parliament voted on Wednesday in favour of an EU-wide ban on single-use plastics such as disposable plates, straws and lightweight shopping bags, paving the way for negotiations with member states on the issue.

In May, the European Commission proposed banning a range of single-use plastic items for which a non-plastic alternative is readily available, while reducing the use of items such as plastic takeaway food containers.

More than 80 per cent of marine litter is plastic, the commission argued at the time.

EU lawmakers strengthened the commission proposal in part, by setting binding targets to reduce the use of certain items and extending the list of products to be banned. A large majority voted in favour of the new measures.

The parliament must now negotiate with member states on the final rules to be adopted. If they agree next year, the legislation should be in place by 2021.

Plastic waste is a particular problem for the world's oceans, with its slow decomposition rate meaning that traces are often found in marine species such as sea turtles, whales and birds, as well as the seafood that ends up in the human food chain.

Many argue, however, that instead of banning plastics, legislation should focus on how items are disposed of.

"We don't want to see plastics litter being thrown into our streets or plastic bottles ending up in the ocean," said Markus Beyrer of BusinessEurope, an industry group, ahead of Wednesday's vote.

But he warned against making plastic producers "exclusively responsible" for the problem of littering.