EU Unveils Plans To Cut Europe's Plastic and Packaging Waste 29
The EU executive wants to ban mini-shampoo bottles in hotels and the use of throwaway cups in cafes and restaurants, as part of sweeping legal proposals to curb Europe's mountains of waste. The Guardian reports: A draft EU regulation published on Wednesday also proposes mandatory deposit and return schemes for single-use plastic drinks bottles and metal cans, as well as an end to e-commerce firms wrapping small items in huge boxes. The new rules, which will have to be approved by EU member states and the European parliament, are intended to tackle the surge in plastic and other packaging waste. EU officials estimate that 40% of new plastics and 50% of paper are used in packaging, making the sector a vast consumer of virgin materials.
The EU passed a law in 2019 to ban the most common single-use plastic items, such as plastic cutlery, stirrers and straws, but officials want to go further to tackle soaring amounts of packaging rubbish. The average European is thought to generate 180kg of packaging waste each year, which could rise by 19% by 2030, without action. Under the latest proposals, EU member states would have to reduce packaging waste per capita by 15% by 2040 compared with 2018. Officials think this could be achieved by more reuse and refilling, as well as tighter controls on packaging. For example, e-commerce retailers would have to ensure that empty space in a box is a maximum 40% in relation to the product.
The commission also hopes to end confusion about recycling: it proposes harmonized labels, probably pictograms, to make it clear to consumers which bin to use. In a separate law, the commission seeks to ensure that products claiming to be "biobased," "biodegradable" or "compostable" meet minimum standards. In an attempt to clamp down on greenwashing, consumers would be able to tell how long it takes an item to biodegrade, how much biomass was used in its production and whether it is really suitable for home composting.
The EU passed a law in 2019 to ban the most common single-use plastic items, such as plastic cutlery, stirrers and straws, but officials want to go further to tackle soaring amounts of packaging rubbish. The average European is thought to generate 180kg of packaging waste each year, which could rise by 19% by 2030, without action. Under the latest proposals, EU member states would have to reduce packaging waste per capita by 15% by 2040 compared with 2018. Officials think this could be achieved by more reuse and refilling, as well as tighter controls on packaging. For example, e-commerce retailers would have to ensure that empty space in a box is a maximum 40% in relation to the product.
The commission also hopes to end confusion about recycling: it proposes harmonized labels, probably pictograms, to make it clear to consumers which bin to use. In a separate law, the commission seeks to ensure that products claiming to be "biobased," "biodegradable" or "compostable" meet minimum standards. In an attempt to clamp down on greenwashing, consumers would be able to tell how long it takes an item to biodegrade, how much biomass was used in its production and whether it is really suitable for home composting.
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony (Score:2)
How does one define "wastefulness" exactly? (Score:4, Interesting)
Back in the Soviet Union, drink vending machines wouldn't dispense stuff in disposable/recyclable containers. They would pour it into a glass. The glass was meant to be reusable, and before/after dispensing the drink, there would be a jet of water for the patron to wash out the glass.
The obvious downside of this adaptation to conspicuous and persistent shortages of things like aluminum or plastic was that it was neither particularly sanitary, nor robust to silly things like sticky fingers that enticed the glass to grow legs and walk away.
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it was neither particularly sanitary, nor robust to silly things like sticky fingers
An obvious solution is to bring your own cup.
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How do you provide your cup when you order ahead? Maybe you could summon a drone to get it, that would be kind of cool.
Also, if you get sick or the taste is off because you provided a dirty cup, you'll blame the restaurant, so to protect themselves, the restaurant would need to clean and sterilize the cup before filling it even if it looks clean.
This is why I think they should make a paper liner that fits into a reusable cup, and the restaurant would fill the li
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How do you provide your cup when you order ahead?
We are talking about vending machines.
the restaurant would need to clean and sterilize the cup before filling it even if it looks clean.
Except that many restaurants, including Starbucks, let people bring their own cups, and they don't clean or sterilize them or have any of the other problems you predict.
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False. [reddit.com]
Re: How does one define "wastefulness" exactly? (Score:2)
Those "paper" cups and "paper" cartons have plastic liners, because wax liners (also largely a petroleum product btw) would melt when flooded with hot beverages.
And even if they're not used for hot beverages but stored in a hot location, they'd melt into uselessness.
So yeah...we're right back to disposable plastics. Glad it only took about a day on slashdot to avoid an expensive and pointless policy mistake.
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I think it's pretty easy to define it as "things that go on a waste heap".
You don't need to make thing unsanitary. Ditching plastic for aluminium cans would already be a huge benefit given their recyclability. And I've never met one person in my entire life who thinks hard plastic packaging is a good idea. Literally no one is keen on potentially injuring themselves trying to open the packaging that came with their USB stick.
Re:How does one define "wastefulness" exactly? (Score:4, Interesting)
They still have that in Japan. Some restaurants offer unlimited drinks with your meal, and have drinks dispensers with proper mugs and glasses for you to use. Petty theft is low in Japan anyway, but I'd guess that at least at moderately priced restaurants in Europe the level of theft would be low enough that the reduced staffing costs and improved customer experience more than offset it.
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I've seen that in some restaurants in Europe, but the post you replied to was talking about vending machines, not restaurants. Restaurants have staff and dishwashers to wash the used glass before the next customer uses it. Vending machines, as I understand them, don't. In principle you could add a single-glass dishwasher, but that probably isn't very space-, energy- or water-efficient.
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I'm trying to remember the last time I saw a vending machine with disposable cups outside of a restaurant. They are all cans or bottles now, it seems. I think the last time was at a hospital where they had a water dispenser, but the cups were some kind of paper. I guess there must still be some using plastic cups around.
Re: How does one define "wastefulness" exactly? (Score:2)
If you purchase a water cooler from an office supply store, all it will have is a dispenser for cups. You can put whatever kind of cup you want that will fit in there.
I've seen clear plastic, plastic lined paper ("dixie cups" as they're called here) and even closed cell foam cups (though those are meant for hot stuff) being sold in bulk for use in dispensers.
Coffee vending machines will usually use the foam cup variety. I think I've seen them in hotels and hospital waiting rooms. We have one in the cafeteri
Can't possibly work! (Score:4, Insightful)
Use more plastic ACTUALLY IS the solution (Score:3)
Why not focus on compost able? (Score:2)
Glass, metal with some thin plastic barriers and compostable can be used for 99% of packaging. I don't expect things to turn on a dime, but if you don't do some long term planning the plastic industry will continu to make investments and constrain room for real policy changes.
The current plans seem very unambitious to me.
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Glass, metal with some thin plastic barriers and compostable can be used for 99% of packaging. I don't expect things to turn on a dime, but if you don't do some long term planning the plastic industry will continu to make investments and constrain room for real policy changes.
The current plans seem very unambitious to me.
What do we do about the real plastic problem?
It is certainly a good thing to minimize plastic waste, but the EU and USA only contribute a small amount to the overall problem.
It is an African, Chinese, Thailand and number one is the Philippines problem to such a large extent that "we" are contributing just a few percent.
Re:Why not focus on compost able? (Score:4, Insightful)
If we solve the problem, make the "Western lifestyle" a model of low waste and emissions, and push the price of the solutions down, others will follow.
Remember that we benefitted from our industrial revolutions, and then outsourcing all the dirty stuff to developing countries. We should fix it.
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If we solve the problem, make the "Western lifestyle" a model of low waste and emissions, and push the price of the solutions down, others will follow.
Remember that we benefitted from our industrial revolutions, and then outsourcing all the dirty stuff to developing countries. We should fix it.
Very optimistic.
One of the important things to remember is that the plastics that are the main problem aren't typically outsourced from us. Those piles of discarded containers in their rivers and on their beached are largely internally consumed, and most of the plastic internally produced. Side note is that what used to be in those bottles and containers is also contributing to pollution.
The Philippines is indeed trying to clean up it's act. Not very successfully so far. No one tells China what to do.
Refillable dispensers (Score:2)
Hotels could definitely make a move towards refillable dispensers. Usually I travel with my own shower gel and shampoo, but when I've had to use hotel minis I've either had to use only half a bottle wasting the rest or multiple small bottles. As long as the hotels are honest about refilling the shampoo, conditioner and showergel correctly this would be a good result.
It would also be great if more cafes switched to cardboard coffee cups, though cold drinks, e.g. iced coffee do better in plastic due to the co
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Just plop the cardboard "cup" into your reusable coffee cup that's designed to take the cardboard liner. The country could standardize on cup sizes to make it happen.
Also they need to do something about electronics with non-removable or nonstandard batteries. The world needs some standardized LiPo sizes and shapes because not everything can fit a 18650 cell.
"To make it clear to consumers which bin to use" (Score:2)
It's not just a question of making it clear which bin to use: it's a question of making it credible. The packaging on some products I buy regularly says that it should go in the blue (paper) bin, even though it looks to me like plastic. After much vacilation, I've decided to trust the label and assume that it's a cellulose product which can be recycled with paper. I'm currently half-way through a bottle of chilli oil which says on the label that it should go in the yellow (plastic and metal) bin. As far as
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Simple solution: (Score:5, Interesting)
All companies selling goods in or to the EU must pay the real-life cost to recycle that good and the waste generated by it. This would eliminate possible loopholes (e.g. soiled plastics from fast food, multi-plastic goods, embedded e-waste), maximize the amount of recycling and cause companies to optimize their products for recycling without any draconian limitations.
Doing this would all but eliminate waste and solve the e-waste problem The only thing preventing this is politicians and a lack of imagination.
COVID is over? (Score:1)
They need to work on Amazon shipping and clamshell packaging at Walmart. I don’t know anyone who likes that outside of antitheft people.
This is getting hilarious (Score:1)