Germany to ban plastic straws by mid-2021

German lawmakers approved legislation Thursday (17 September) banning disposable plastic products such as straws, cutlery and cotton buds that are polluting the world’s oceans.

The new law passed by Germany’s lower house of parliament will halt the sale of certain single-use plastics by July 2021.

The move brings Germany in line with its European commitments after the EU last year agreed to place tough new restrictions on certain plastic items.

The EU legislation bans around a dozen disposable plastic products for which environmentally friendly alternatives exist, including drink stirrers, chopsticks and plates.

According to the EU Commission, the products prohibited under the law represent 70% of the waste that pours into oceans, posing a threat to wildlife and fisheries.

EU nails rapid-fire deal on single-use plastics

Negotiators of the European Parliament, Council and Commission struck a provisional agreement early Wednesday morning (19 December) on banning single-use plastic products like cutlery and food containers, in what is one of the most quickly finalised proposals in recent EU memory.

The EU-wide legislation has already prompted fast food giant McDonald’s to speed up its move to limit the use of plastics in its European restaurants, including by ditching the plastic lids on McFlurry ice creams.

McDonald’s estimates that the change will save more than 1,200 tonnes of plastic a year on the continent.

Environmental group Greenpeace on Thursday criticised the new legislation however for only covering a specific list of single-use plastics instead of a wholesale ban on all such products.

“The way out the plastics crisis can only happen through a real change in packaging away from the disposable to the reusable,” said Viola Wohlgemuth of Greenpeace Germany.

Economic meltdown threatens Europe's war on plastic

Giving a new life to plastic trash gets Carlos Bento out of bed every morning. But the coronavirus pandemic has seen revenues drop up to 40% at Micronipol, the large recycling facility he runs in central Portugal, and it faces an uncertain future.

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Commission under fire for including 'carbon sinks' into EU climate goals

The European Commission on Thursday (17 September) defended its plan to bring carbon removals from agriculture, land use and forestry into the EU’s updated climate target for 2030, saying this was in line with UNFCCC standards.