| Author (Corporate) | European Commission |
|---|---|
| Series Title | COM |
| Series Details | (2013) 761 final (4.11.13) |
| Publication Date | 04/11/2013 |
| Content Type | Policy-making |
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The same properties that have made plastic carrier bags commercially successful – low weight and resistance to degradation – have also contributed to their proliferation. It is estimated that in 2010 every EU citizen used 198 plastic carrier bags, some 90% of which were estimated to be lightweight bags; these are less frequently re-used than thicker bags and more prone to littering. In a business-as-usual scenario the consumption of plastic bags is expected to increase further. Estimates also suggest that in 2010, over 8 billion plastic carrier bags were littered in the EU. They escape waste management streams and accumulate in our environment, especially in the form of marine litter, which is increasingly recognized to be a major global challenge. There also is documented evidence indicating large debris accumulation in European seas. The problem of plastic bag waste in water ecosystems does not affect only countries with a marine coastline, as a considerable amount of the waste from land reaches the sea through rivers. Once discarded, plastic carrier bags can last for hundreds of years, mostly in fragmented form. The very high and still increasing consumption of such bags is also sub-optimal from a resource efficiency perspective. In the EU, plastic carrier bags are considered as packaging under the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive (Directive 94/62/EC). However, there is no EU legislation or policy specifically targeting plastic carrier bags. Some Member States have already developed policies to reduce their use, for instance by means of pricing measures, agreements with the retail sector or awareness campaigns, with variable results. Following attempts by some Member States to ban plastic carrier bags, the Environment Council of 14 March 2011 discussed the issue and invited the Commission to analyse possible EU action against plastic bag consumption. The general objective of this proposal on plastic carrier bags is to limit negative impacts on the environment, in particular in terms of littering, to encourage waste prevention and a more efficient use of resources, while limiting negative socio-economic impacts. More specifically, the proposal aims at reducing the consumption of plastic carrier bags with a thickness of below 50 microns (0.05 milimeters) in the European Union. |
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| Source Link | http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=COM:2013:761:FIN |
| Related Links |
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| Subject Categories | Environment |
| Countries / Regions | Europe |
