EU will reduce 80% of plastic bags

The European Parliament recently passed a 539-vote and 51-vote opposition, requiring member states to reduce the use of plastic bags by at least 80% from now until 2019, and prohibit supermarkets and other free supply of plastic bags.

The European Parliament hopes to revise the relevant provisions on product packaging that have been implemented since 1994 when the next meeting is held. The EU hopes that member states will take measures to significantly reduce the use of plastic bags in the next five years and reduce their use by at least 80% by 2019. The Parliament requires member states to prohibit the use of plastic bags in addition to meat, fish or dairy products, and prohibits supermarkets from providing plastic bags to consumers free of charge. Since 2019, bags for fruit and vegetables have also been replaced with recyclable or degradable paper bags.

European Parliament data shows that each European uses an average of 200 plastic bags each year, and nearly 90% of them are discarded only once. Each year, 800 million plastic bags become rubbish and are even thrown into the sea.