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The EU Targets Plastic Waste as it Aims to Make All Packaging Recyclable by 2030
Key Excerpts from Article on Website of Fortune
Posted: January 22nd, 2018
http://fortune.com/2018/01/17/eu-pushes-plastic-recycling/
European Union regulators declared a new policy agenda Tuesday starting with the goal that all plastic packaging on the EU market will be recyclable or reusable by 2030. The European Commission appears to be scrambling to curb plastic usage and increase recycling after China announced it would no longer accept imports of foreign garbage starting in 2018. The urgent goal is part of a plan to develop a new, sustainable plastic economy, which could potentially involve levying taxes and modernizing plastics production to kickstart a behavior change, the European Commission said. Europeans produce 25 million tons of plastic waste annually, but less than 30% of it is currently recycled. If we dont do anything about this, 50 years down the road we will have more plastic than fish in the oceans Frans Timmermans, vice-president of the European Commission responsible for sustainable development, said. Brussels is zeroing in on single-use plastics in particular, hoping to reduce if not eliminate items like straws, bottles that do not degrade, coffee cups, lids and stirrers, cutlery and takeaway containers. Single-use plastics ... take five seconds to produce, you use it for five minutes and it takes 500 years to break down again, Timmermans said. In addition to promoting consumer education, the commission said it will facilitate easy access to tap water throughout Europe in order to reduce the demand for bottled water.
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