BusinessGreen: European Commission launches consultation seeking to reduce plastic carrier bag waste
Businesses and individuals have been urged to give their views on whether the European Union should tax or altogether ban plastic carrier bags, as part of a new consultation designed to tackle rising levels of plastic waste.
The European Commission launched a public consultation this week, open until August, considering options to reduce plastic carrier bag waste and improve the way a bag is labelled to indicate how it will biodegrade.
Some countries have already introduced taxes or reached voluntary agreements with the retail sector to phase out plastic bags, but no specific measures exist at EU level.
According to the EU, the average European citizen uses around 500 plastic carrier bags annually, most of which are used only once.
Ireland's plastic bag levy, introduced in 2002, reduced plastic bag use from an estimated 328 per person to 21 per person overnight. Other countries, such as Italy, have adopted a more drastic approach by banning the use of certain types of plastic carrier bag.
The consultation proposes that plastic bags should carry a label clearly defining whether it is 'biodegradable', meaning that it will biodegrade in natural conditions in the environment, or 'compostable', meaning that it will break down only in industrial composting facilities.
The Commission said that the current lack of labeling to separate these types of bags can cause people to inadvertently create litter.
Although most plastic carrier bags are theoretically recyclable, many are still sent to landfill. Moreover, because of their low weight and small size, they can easily escape the waste management process and end up in the sea or rivers where they pose a serious threat to wildlife and can contaminate waterways and soil.
It has been estimated that there are already around 250 billion floating plastic particles and 500 tonnes of plastic in the Mediterranean alone.
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/may/20/europe-plastic-bag-ban
Shola Ameobi Peter Beardsley Mikel Arteta Northern Ireland Transfer window Human rights
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