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Straws, cutlery and plates made from single-use plastic are now prohibited
Photo: Kerstin Dölitzsch / imago images / PicturePoint
Plastic straws, plastic plates, plastic cutlery - all of this should soon be a thing of the past.
The EU passed a ban on single-use plastic products as early as 2019, and this Saturday it will come into force in Germany and other EU countries.
The regulation stipulates that many single-use plastic products will disappear from the market, but there will also be many exceptions.
The most important questions and answers.
Which products are banned and where are there exceptions?
The regulation covers products made of different materials.
Specifically, the following are prohibited:
Cutlery and plates, drinking straws, stirring sticks, cotton swabs and balloon sticks made of plastic;
Disposable plates, cups or cutlery made of bio-based or biodegradable plastics;
Disposable plates and bowls made of cardboard as soon as they consist to a small extent of plastic or are covered with plastic;
To-go containers and to-go drinks cups made of styrofoam.
The ban does not go far enough for the nature conservation association Nabu.
When it comes to plastic dishes, it is limited to plates and cutlery, the organization criticizes.
Plastic beverage cups, such as beer cups in football stadiums, are likely to continue to be sold.
Plastic-coated coffee-to-go cups made of paper were also allowed, as well as colorful plastic ice cream cups.
Why aren't the banned products immediately disappearing from restaurants and shops?
In order to avoid waste, goods from current stocks can continue to be sold.
This explains why, despite the ban, plastic plates and straws will still be found in restaurants and shops for some time.
What plastic-free alternatives are there and how should they be assessed?
In some cases, there are alternatives made of
paper or cardboard
, the production of which, however, also has a strong impact on the environment, primarily through the consumption of water and energy and the use of chemicals in production. The environmental balance of
wooden cutlery
is somewhat better in comparison, since the processing is less expensive, writes the consumer advice center. The decisive factor, however, is where the wood comes from. If in doubt,
bamboo
can be
an alternative.
Plates, cups and food boxes are also made from
bagasse
, a fibrous material that is left over from the production of cane sugar.
The resulting products are more reminiscent of plastic than cardboard.
The processing is less expensive than with paper or wood, writes the consumer advice center.
Bagasse is also compostable.
Containers made of
aluminum
are still allowed, but should be avoided for environmental reasons.
Wherever possible, it is best to use reusable alternatives made of glass or metal, for example.
Even with cotton swabs, there are now reusable silicone products.
Plastic products that are still permitted are to be labeled in the future.
What's it all about?
All disposable products with plastic that are still allowed must be labeled in the future.
In addition to to-go cups made out of and with plastic, the regulation also includes hygiene products (such as wet wipes or tampons) and cigarettes with plastic-containing filters.
The marking is intended to warn consumers of environmental damage caused by plastic and to inform them about correct disposal.
What should be achieved with the single-use plastic ban?
According to the consumer advice center, the reason for the ban was that more and more plastic parts can be found on European beaches.
According to the Federal Environment Agency, drinking straws, disposable cups and cotton swabs are among the ten most common single-use plastic products found on European beaches.
"More and more people are consuming food outside their home or having it delivered," writes the federal government.
Drinking coffee from a to-go mug or eating pasta from a styrofoam box is convenient, but it creates more and more rubbish, which often ends up in nature or parks.
Disposable tableware and to-go packaging produced more than 340,000 tons of waste in 2017.
What other measures are planned to reduce plastic waste?
From 2022, retailers will no longer be allowed to give their customers thin plastic carrier bags.
In addition, a general deposit obligation for non-returnable plastic beverage bottles is to be introduced in 2022, which will also apply to plastic bottles with beverages made from milk from 2024.
Apart from that, PET non-returnable beverage bottles must consist of at least 25 percent recycled plastic from 2024.
irb / dpa
