Thin plastic bags to be removed from the market. New European rules for waste reduction
The well-known practice among Romanians of keeping a plastic bag to store numerous other plastic bags is gradually diminishing. In response to the growing waste crisis, the European Parliament has introduced new regulations for packaging.
We now have an annual quota of 40 plastic bags; very thin bags will be removed from the market and small shampoo bottles will disappear from hotels.
Related
- A company has started producing aviation fuel from human waste. Experts' explanation
- Romania discards over 2.5 million tons of food annually. What does a new law require to reduce food waste
- Plastic ice cream has appeared, the world's first food made from waste. It tastes like vanilla
- Tons of food wasted after holiday meals. How to reduce food waste
- Scientists: Dead flies could be used to make biodegradable plastic
Furthermore, manufacturers are obliged to eliminate from packaging composition the chemical substances that, according to studies, have been associated with an increased risk of cancer, liver damage or thyroid diseases.
Unnecessary packaging will be prohibited. I ordered some cosmetic products, but the merchant chose to excessively wrap them.
Alin Mituta, Member of the European Parliament: "If the product has a certain size or volume, the packaging must respect that volume and size".
Eco-friendly alternatives are already available in the market, providing successful substitutes for traditional boxes and bags. Such as, for example, reusable envelopes.
Ana Voicu, owner of a children's products company: "The consumer just needs to take the products out of the bag and hand the bag back to the courier".
The sale of thin bags will be prohibited. These will only be allowed when purchasing bulk food items.
Wrapping film for suitcases and bags from airports will disappear. In hotels, we won't find shampoo or shower gel in small containers.
Technology has advanced so much that such bags, harmful to the environment and found scattered everywhere in nature, can be transformed into liquid fuel.
In practice, these bags undergo temperatures surpassing 400 degrees Celsius in the absence of air to prevent combustion. Consequently, they transform into a liquid resembling a processed substance from a refinery, which can then be converted into automotive fuel.
Furthermore, when dining out, it is recommended to bring our own container, and in exchange, we may receive a discount if we opt not to consume the meal on-site. This practice is already implemented in certain cafes. However, there are still some temporary exemptions, such as for wax and wooden packaging, as in the case of Camembert cheese.
Adina Huma, co-founder of a reusable packaging start-up: "Single-use packaging is still very cheap. Usually, in sustainability, everyone agrees with the principles; the question is who pays".
In the production of packaging, chemicals associated with an increased risk of breast, kidney and testicular cancer, thyroid diseases and diabetes will be prohibited. Examples include bisphenol found in plastic bottles.
Ioan Călinescu, professor at the Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology: "We can find it in the resins covering the metal surfaces of beverage cans or metal cans used to store food. It is advisable to avoid heating in such packaging and long-term storage in such packaging".
In the European Union, the packaging market represents a €350 billion industry, so the new rules were vigorously debated in the European Parliament.
The main goal of the new regulation is to reduce packaging waste.
In the European Union, we are talking about over 80 million tons annually. That is over 3.2 million fully loaded trucks, approximately seven trucks for every European citizen.
If no measures are taken, we'll add another one by 2030. Discussions will follow with ministers from member countries, and after reaching a final agreement, the regulation will be published and will have to be implemented in every European Union state.
