The problem of abandoned plastic waste in the seas and the new EU Directive
We all know or have seen unpleasant images of plastic waste in the sea.
In the world today, plastic pollution accounts for as much as 85% of all marine litter. Microplastics, however, are present not only in the water, but also in the air, and finally, end up on our tables.
That is why a new directive has just been issued at the European level banning disposable plastics.
This will prevent EURÂ 22Â billion in environmental damage by the year 2030 and will save consumers EURÂ 6.5Â billion.
The European Commission has focused its attention in particular on 10 products made of disposable plastic and fishing gear that together account for 70% of European marine litter.
What the Directive provides for
The new European regulations, after the ban on plastic bags in 2015, therefore provide for a ban on the production and marketing of disposable plastic products, namely cotton flakes, plates, glasses and cutlery, straws, mixers for drinks and auctions from balloons.
These products will not disappear from the market but will have to be made only with biodegradable materials to read. In addition, the various EU Member States will have to set national targets for the reduction of plastic containers for food and drink and use alternative products.
Disposable beverage containers can only be used if their caps are attached to the same container.
Incentives are provided to industry to develop less polluting alternatives, while producers of disposable plastic products will have to cover part of the costs of waste cleaning.
European target
The European target is 2025, the year in which 90% of the disposable plastic beverage bottles will be collected, with deposit and deposit methods; in addition, the labeling of disposable products will also be changed and will have to include clear indications on disposal, on the negative impact on the environment and on the presence of plastic in their products.
EU states will also have to take measures to raise consumer awareness of the consequences of dispersing plastic products or plastic fishing gear into water.
These new rules could also enter into force in May 2019 before the elections. Until then, however, each of us can do something to avoid the use of disposable plastic products, looking for an alternative and recyclable products, even before the entry into force of European Community laws.
What we can do to reduce plastics.
Plastic pollution
In our time we have used a lot of disposable plastic, but we have seen how today plastic does not always end up in landfills, or recycled, but it happens to end up in waterways and finally in the sea, polluting the seabed and the oceans with serious damage to marine life, but also to fishing and consequently to humans themselves.
Plastic pollution is a problem of our time that must, therefore, be tackled today, first of all by the governments of the various countries, and then by companies and industries that should reconvert their production with an eye for more attention to the environment.
The ideal point would be to eliminate plastic by replacing it with another material that is more biodegradable so as not to pollute the environment.
Everyone can contribute to.
But can each of us in our own small way also help to reduce the use of plastic?
Surely the consumer has a weight in terms of market demand and supply.
So to reduce the use of plastic you could, for example, try not to use disposable containers, but go shopping with your own fabric bags, also in many supermarkets and shops you can already use a reusable bag to buy fruit and vegetables, and still you could buy products in stores where they sell loose, such as detergents or detergents, to eliminate plastic bottles and any other type of packaging disposable.
Creative recycling
It is the right to make a proper separate collection of plastic objects so that they are delivered to the point of collection where they will then be sent for recycling.
Another way to reduce plastic waste is to reuse it for creative recycling, to create useful objects at home with DIY.