The list of plastics to be banned includes: restaurant packaging, soap bottles in hotels, suitcase protection films at airports - aiming for a 5% reduction in packaging waste volume by January 1, 2030, AFP reports.

This measure entails the prohibition of single-use plastic containers in restaurants, but only for food and beverages consumed on-site.

It specifies the preservation of paper and cardboard packaging.

In France, for example, a law has prohibited the on-site use of single-use packaging in restaurants with more than 20 seats since 2023.

By January 1, 2030, other single-use plastic containers are also set to be banned, namely miniature soap or shampoo bottles in the hotel industry, small sauce packets, suitcase protection films at airports and plastic packaging for unprocessed fruits and vegetables.

Very lightweight plastic bags are also set to disappear, with some exceptions.

The text also prohibits the addition of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), the "eternal pollutants", considered harmful, to food packaging.

MANDATORY REUSE LEVELS

MEPs and EU member states have agreed on this key text of the "Green Deal", which sets a target of reducing packaging waste volume in the EU by 5% by 2030, compared to 2018 levels, then by 10% by 2035 and by 15% by 2040.

Packaging in the EU is to be recyclable - starting from 2030 - and effectively recycled "on a large scale" from 2035 onwards, to encourage the rise of a circular economy, the European Parliament has announced in a statement.

Before it can take effect, this agreement must be officially ratified by all 27 member states and by the European Parliament in a plenary session.

The European Parliament, which considers recycling insufficient, establishes binding levels of reuse - reuse or refill - of packaging in various sectors, for example, in e-commerce, beverages, beer, by 2030.

The wine sector is exempt, as well as micro-enterprises.

The European Council has announced in a statement that member states exceeding their recycling targets by at least 5 percentage points and demonstrating "progress toward meeting waste prevention goals" are eligible for exceptions.

Cardboard or paper packaging is not subject to the ban—a concession granted to Italy, which strongly advocated for its significant investment in an essential recycling system.