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Europe Plans Ban on Plastic Cutlery, Straws and More (cnn.com)

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the upping-the-ante dept.

Europe is proposing a ban on single-use plastic items such as cutlery, straws and cotton buds in a bid to clean up the oceans. From a report: The European Commission wants to ban 10 items that make up 70% of all litter in EU waters and on beaches. The list also includes plastic plates and drink stirrers. The draft rules were unveiled Monday but need the approval of all EU member states and the European Parliament. It could take three or four years for the rules to come into force. The legislation is not just about banning plastic products. It also wants to make plastic producers bear the cost of waste management and cleanup efforts, and it proposes that EU states must collect 90% of single-use plastic bottles by 2025 through new recycling programs.

4 of 628 comments (clear)

  1. Hey Europe by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 5, Interesting

    If you really want to do the right thing by Mother Nature, ban disposable diapers.

    --
    #DeleteChrome
    1. Re:Hey Europe by Zarhan · · Score: 5, Interesting

      No need to ban all of them - just those with plastic absorption gels and similar components.

      At least in Finland and Sweden there are disposable diapers that are made 100% of paper (I know because I've used both brands for my kid). Essentially biodegradable - and also works very well as fuel for waste-to-energy plant.

      Comparing to reusable nappies - running your washing machine at 60 or 90C to properly wash them just doesn't seem all that efficient, compared to the industrial scale process where trees get first converted to paper to nappies and then burned for energy after use. No, I have not ran the numbers.

      So you can keep the convenience of disposable nappies without the downsides of plastics.

  2. BYO Shopping Bags ... BYO Flatware by laughingskeptic · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Cheap bulk stainless flatware is $0.50 a part or less. I can see this being just like shopping bags where you either show up with your own flatware or buy flatware when doing things like eating at food trucks. We would have flatware in our desks at the office and scattered in our cars. Another minor greening irritation.

  3. Re:Flying? by arth1 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I've noticed in the past few years that I get metal cutlery on flights. The knives have blunt tips.

    Here in the US, knives and forks are always blunt. I grew up with forks with sharp tines that you could spear peas with, but when I moved, I discovered that Americans have never seen or heard of sharp tined forks, and used forks like if they were spoons, upside down. And knives - well, even steak knives are blunt, they're just serrated. Which, of course, steak knives shouldn't be. None of them could possibly sharpen a pencil, even.
    I think it's partially a liability thing - if someone hurts themselves with sharp cutlery, there will be lawsuits. And partially Americans being exceptionally yellow, I mean risk-averse.