(ANSA) - BRUSSELS, NOVEMBER 30 - The EU Commission is launching the packaging revolution and focusing on reuse and the 'empty return' for plastic bottles and aluminum cans.
The goal is to reduce packaging waste by 15% per capita for each country by 2040.
According to the proposed regulation, by 2030 20% of take-away beverage sales will have to be served in reusable packaging or using customers, to reach 80% in 2040. Disposable packs in bars and restaurants and vials in hotels are prohibited.
There is a mandatory quota of recycled content in new plastic packaging.
Biodegradable plastic products marketed in the EU will need to be labeled to show how long they will take to biodegrade, under what circumstances and in what environment.
Packaging intended for industrial composting will only be permitted for tea bags, coffee pods, stickers for fruit and vegetables and very light plastic bags.
"Nobody wants to put an end to recycling practices that work well or endanger the underlying investments. I know that in Italy a lot has already been done on recycling, we still want more, not less, there is no competition between the two approaches".
This was stated by the vice president of the EU Commission, Frans Timmermans, speaking in Italian during the presentation of the proposal on packaging.
"Not all recycling practices work really well, but reuse is not in competition with recycling, we need both tools, as well as more waste treatment plants," he said.
The EU packaging industry rejects the Brussels plan to reduce packaging waste.
"The proposal risks going against the objectives of the Green Deal, turning back the hands of the recycling clock and compromising the functionality of packaging in protecting products and preventing waste", highlights the trade organisation, Europen, which among its members also counts Ferrero.
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