The European Parliament has voted for a complete Europe-wide ban on a range of single-use plastics by 2021 in a bid to reduce the rate of pollution.
In the vote, which took place on Tuesday, MEPs backed a ban on a number of single-use plastic items including plates and cutlery, straws, drink-stirrers and balloon sticks.
The vote itself was a landslide, with the proposed directive backed 571-53.
The UK will have to incorporate the rules into national law if the ban becomes a fully-fledged directive before the end of a Brexit transition period.
Balloon artists and businesses had been coming together to contact their MEPs in the run-up to the vote, with EBPC, BAPIA, NABAS and Qualatex all calling on their respective networks to get involved.
At this stage, Parliament’s position to remove balloons from the labelling requirements. Balloons do, however, remain under the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme which requires manufacturers to contribute towards clean up costs and raise consumer awareness.
The MEP responsible for the bill, Frédérique Ries, said it was “a victory for our oceans, for the environment and for future generations.”
One MEP said, if no action was taken; “by 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the oceans.”
The EBPC has already issued a communication highlighting that this is not the final legislation. The next stage will be a number of meetings to decide on the final wording, with the first of these currently scheduled to take place on 6 November, 2018.
To find out more or to get involved, visit www.ebpcouncil.eu
