EU Parliament backs microplastic bans to tackle plastic pollution | Environment committee called for more measures

The environment committee called for a number of measures that go beyond the Commission’s original proposals, including:

i) A ban on microplastics in cosmetics, personal care, detergents and cleaning products by 2020, and minimum requirements to tackle other sources of microplastics

ii) A complete ban on oxo-degradable plastics – a source of microplastic pollution – by 2020

iii) A recognition that biodegradable and compostable plastics do not prevent plastic waste in our oceans and should not be an excuse to keep using single-use plastics

iv) Any financial contribution from taxing plastics should go towards preventing plastic waste generation

v) The reduction of hazardous substances in plastics, to ensure that what is recycled is free from dangerous chemicals

Bolger continued: “There’s a lot of greenwashing going on to try and present bio-based and biodegradable plastics as a silver bullet – but this is a sideshow, distracting from the real solutions: reduction and reuse. Bio-based and biodegradable plastics pollute our beaches and seas just like conventional plastics, and should be treated as such. It is hugely positive that the Parliament acknowledges this.”

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