EU lays down plans to ban single-use plastic products

Aiming to clean up the region's oceans, the EU drafted rules to prohibit use of plastic items that contribute 70 percent of all litter found on beaches and in the waters.

The EU has proposed new laws to ban 10 kinds of single-use plastic items in a bid to reduce litter in the region's waters and on beaches. The list includes cutlery, straws, cotton buds, plates and stirrers. According to the European Commission, the items, along with fishing gear, account for 70 percent of all litter found in the continent's oceans.

The rules need the approval of all EU member states and the European Parliament. Implementation could take three or four years.

Under the regulations, plastic product manufacturers are also required to finance waste management and cleanup efforts while EU countries must collect 90 percent of single-use plastic bottles by 2025 through new recycling programs.

Once fully implemented, the European Commission estimates that by 2030, the rules could cost the plastic industry more than 3 billion euros ($3.5 billion) annually. But they could also save consumers about 6.5 billion euros ($7.6 billion) every year, and 22 billion euros ($25.6 billion) in environmental damage and cleanup costs.

Environmental advocates called the proposals a great step forward in tacking plastic pollution but pointed out more can be done. They question the exclusion of plastic cups and food containers from the list.

The rules likewise faced criticism from the plastic manufacturers, saying while they supported the objective of the new regulations, there must be more resources dedicated to waste management to ensure better collection. They also noted that alternative products may not be more sustainable.

Globally, only 14 percent of plastic is collected for recycling. In contrast, 58 percent of paper and up to 90 percent of iron and steel gets reused.

The World Economic Forum warned there will more plastic than fish by weight in the world's oceans by 2050.