Directive (EU) 2019/904 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 June 2019 on the reduction of the impact of certain plastic products on the environment
Summary of Directive (EU) 2019/904:
– From 2021 production of plastic disposables such as plates, straws, cutlery, cups, etc. will be prohibited.
– From 2021 sales of plastic disposables will be banned in the European Union. (Full list below)
– Meantime all member states must implement measures to decrease usage of single use plastic.
From 2021 all companies and households, using plastic disposables, will need to rethink their way of doing business and shopping. Everybody should start looking for sustainable products, protecting the environment, easily recycled or having the option of being used several times.
Let us not wait for the EU to ban all single use plastics straws, because they are really bad for the environment. Let’s start using paper straws now to help ocean and seas become cleaner today!
Presented questions and answers on this page are from the Directive (EU) 2019/904 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 June 2019 on the reduction of the impact of certain plastic products on the environment
DIRECTIVE (EU) 2019/904 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL
Why should single-use plastic production be banned?
The high functionality and relatively low cost of plastic means that this material is increasingly ubiquitous in everyday life. While plastic plays a useful role in the economy and provides essential applications in many sectors, its growing use in short-lived applications, which are not designed for re-use or cost-effective recycling, means that related production and consumption patterns have become increasingly inefficient and linear.
The Commission concluded, that the steady increase in plastic waste generation and the leakage of plastic waste into the environment, in particular into the marine environment, must be tackled in order to achieve a circular life cycle for plastics.
Therefore, in the context of the Circular Economy Action Plan laid down in the Communication of the Commission of 2 December 2015 entitled ‘Closing the loop – An EU action plan for the Circular Economy’, the Commission concluded in the European Strategy for Plastics laid down in its Communication of 16 January 2018 entitled ‘A European Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy’ that the steady increase in plastic waste generation and the leakage of plastic waste into the environment, in particular into the marine environment, must be tackled in order to achieve a circular life cycle for plastics.
The European Strategy for Plastics is a step towards establishing a circular economy in which the design and production of plastics and plastic products fully respect re-use, repair and recycling needs and in which more sustainable materials are developed and promoted. The significant negative environmental, health and economic impact of certain plastic products calls for the setting up of a specific legal framework to effectively reduce those negative effects.
How the Commission took the decision?
In the Union, 80 to 85 % of marine litter, measured as beach litter counts, is plastic, with single-use plastic items representing 50 % and fishing-related items representing 27 % of the total. Single-use plastic products include a diverse range of commonly used fast-moving consumer products that are discarded after having been used once for the purpose for which they were provided, are rarely recycled, and are prone to becoming litter.
A significant proportion of the fishing gear placed on the market is not collected for treatment. Single-use plastic products and fishing gear containing plastic are therefore a particularly serious problem in the context of marine litter, pose a severe risk to marine ecosystems, to biodiversity and to human health and damage activities such as tourism, fisheries and shipping.
In the Union, 80 to 85 % of marine litter, measured as beach litter counts, is plastic, with single-use plastic items representing 50 % and fishing-related items representing 27 % of the total.
The single-use plastic products covered by measures under this Directive are estimated to represent around 86 % of the single-use plastics found, in counts, on beaches in the Union. Glass and metal beverage containers should not be covered by this Directive as they are not among the single-use plastic products that are found the most on beaches in the Union.
Objectives of the Directive
The objectives of this Directive are to prevent and reduce the impact of certain plastic products on the environment, in particular the aquatic environment, and on human health, as well as to promote the transition to a circular economy with innovative and sustainable business models, products and materials, thus also contributing to the efficient functioning of the internal market.
Which products will be banned in 2021?
PART B
Single-use plastic products covered by Article 5 on restrictions on placing on the market
(1) Cotton bud sticks, except if they fall within the scope of Council Directive 90/385/EEC (1) or Council Directive 93/42/EEC (2);
(2) Cutlery (forks, knives, spoons, chopsticks);
(3) Plates;
(4) Straws, except if they fall within the scope of Directive 90/385/EEC or Directive 93/42/EEC;
(5) Beverage stirrers;
(6) Sticks to be attached to and to support balloons, except balloons for industrial or other professional uses and applications that are not
distributed to consumers, including the mechanisms of such sticks;
(7) Food containers made of expanded polystyrene, i.e. receptacles such as boxes, with or without a cover, used to contain food which:
(a) is intended for immediate consumption, either on-the-spot or take-away,
(b) is typically consumed from the receptacle, and
(c) is ready to be consumed without any further preparation, such as cooking, boiling or heating,
including food containers used for fast food or other meal ready for immediate consumption, except beverage containers, plates and packets
and wrappers containing food;
(8) Beverage containers made of expanded polystyrene, including their caps and lids;
(9) Cups for beverages made of expanded polystyrene, including their covers and lids.
Article 5
Restrictions on placing on the market
Member States shall prohibit the placing on the market of the single-use plastic products listed in Part B of the Annex and of products made from oxo-degradable plastic.
Other products monitored for their consumption reduction and their impact on pollution.
PART A
Single-use plastic products covered by Article 4 on consumption reduction
(1) Cups for beverages, including their covers and lids;
(2) Food containers, i.e. receptacles such as boxes, with or without a cover, used to contain food which:
(a) is intended for immediate consumption, either on-the-spot or take-away,
(b) is typically consumed from the receptacle, and
(c) is ready to be consumed without any further preparation, such as cooking, boiling or heating,
including food containers used for fast food or other meal ready for immediate consumption, except beverage containers, plates and packets
and wrappers containing food.
Article 4
Consumption reduction
1. Member States shall take the necessary measures to achieve an ambitious and sustained reduction in the consumption of the single-use plastic products listed in Part A of the Annex, in line with the overall objectives of the Union’s waste policy, in particular waste prevention, leading to a substantial reversal of increasing consumption trends. Those measures shall achieve a measurable quantitative reduction in the consumption of the single-use plastic products listed in Part A of the Annex on the territory of the Member State by 2026 compared to 2022.