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Reduce the per capita use of plastic bags to 40

Edit:admin source:未知 Date:2018-10-30 18:21 viewed:

"If we don't act, 50 years from now, there will be more plastic in the sea than fish!" With China banning the import of high-polluting "foreign waste" such as waste plastics, the European Union has had to develop an overall strategy to tackle the growing problem of white pollution, the guardian reported Thursday.

It is reported that Europe produces 25 million tons of plastic waste every year, of which less than 30 percent is recycled. Plastic accounts for 85 percent of all beach waste worldwide. "Some plastics take five seconds to produce and five minutes to use, but it takes 500 years to degrade." European commission first vice President timmermans said.

In response, the European Union unveiled its "plastic-reduction strategy" on Thursday, aiming to achieve recycling of all plastic packaging on the continent by 2030, while recycling 55% of plastic products. By 2026, the average per capita plastic bag use in member countries will be reduced from 90 to 40 per year.

In order to achieve this goal, the eu has proposed to take multiple measures in its strategy. First, the European Union will invest 350 million euros in improved plastic production and collection processes. Second, the eu will supplement research funding by imposing a tax on single-use plastics. Third, the eu will improve the recycling process to minimise the amount of plastic thrown into the sea. The eu is also proposing clearer labels on plastic packaging to let consumers know if products are recyclable. Beyond that, timmermans says it's important to promote education to the public. "I told my children about the environmental hazards of using single-use plastic straws, that they now use paper straws or don't use them at all." He said. Mr Timmermans says the number one goal of the eu's "plastic-free strategy" is to target single-use plastic items such as non-degradable coloured water bottles, coffee cups, stir bars and takeaway packaging.

In fact, before the eu, many countries had declared war on white pollution. British prime minister Theresa may on Thursday promised to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste pollution and make supermarkets "plastic-free" by 2042. German television 2 reported that the country will implement the new packaging law in 2019. The new law will set quotas for manufacturers to produce plastics. The law also requires businesses to reduce plastic packaging. In the future, these packaging will gradually be replaced by recyclable materials.

Big supermarket chains in many countries have followed the government's lead in saying "no" to plastic packaging. The British supermarket chain Iceland said Monday it would make its own packaging plastic-free over the next five years. Coles and Woolworths, two of Australia's biggest supermarket chains, announced they would scrap free plastic bags by July, with big chains such as aldi in Germany no longer offering them.

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