By a comfortable majority (51 to 10 with 3 abstentions), the members of the European Parliament’s environment committee supported and tightened up a draft directive unveiled in May to reduce the use of single-use plastic in the EU in order to tackle pollution of the oceans.
"Prohibit, reduce, tax, but also replace, warn: the member states have many options to choose from. It is up to them to choose wisely and up to us to keep pushing for more", said Belgian MEP Frédérique Ries (ALDE), who is rapporteur on this issue (see EUROPE 12083).
In their amendments, the MEPs add to the list of plastic products that the member states should ban (along with straws, cotton buds, single-use plastic cutlery and the like), very light plastic bags other than cling film for food, oxo-degradable plastic and expanded polystyrene fast food packaging.
These products should be banned by 2021, say the MEPs.
They also called for separate collection of 90% of plastic bottles by 2025, using systems for charging a deposit with a view to recycling the returned bottles.
The MEPs want cigarette filters containing plastic to be at least halved by 2025 and reduced by 80% by 2030, notes the text voted upon. Separate waste collection should also apply to balloons and sanitary pads.
They recommend an annual collection objective of at least 20% for lost or abandoned fishing gear and a recycling objective of at leas 15% for 2025.
The parliamentarians favour an extended system of producer liability in order for companies to cover the cost of collecting and processing this waste.
The European Parliament will give its views on this dossier on 23 October at the next plenary in Strasbourg. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)