"Single-use plastic is like the toxic ex that just keeps reappearing. Plastic straws, cutlery and Styrofoam boxes still show up on takeaway counters, coffee shops and restaurants across Europe, despite being blocked and officially dumped by the EU in 2021. The bloc targeted several items after discovering that 85% of the trash washing up on its shorelines was plastic almost half of which were disposable items such as straws, takeaway boxes, cutlery and plates."
"In order to tackle this growing problem of discarded plastic, which can release harmful chemicals and tiny particles that enter the environment and the human body potentially raising the risk of serious health issues including cancer and infertility the EU decided to take action. The logic was simple. Just ban the sale, production and import of the worst offenders and the problem will vanish. But the reality is very different."
EU measures banned multiple single-use plastic items in 2021 after finding that 85% of shoreline trash was plastic, nearly half disposable items like straws, takeaway boxes, cutlery and plates. Banned items remain widely available: roughly 70% of Berlin takeaway restaurants still offer them, and a continent-wide NGO report found similar availability across many countries. Annual plastic production exceeds 400 million metric tons (about 50 kilograms per person) and is still rising, while global regulations remain ineffective. Plastic can release harmful chemicals and tiny particles that enter the environment and human bodies, potentially increasing risks of cancer and infertility.
Read at www.dw.com
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