European Union Moves to Ban Single-Use Plastic Items

The European Commission introduced a proposal to ban single-use plastic products.

The European Union Commission proposed new legislation on Monday that would ban single-use plastic products, such as plastic straws, in an effort to minimize plastic in the oceans and waterways. It would also require EU countries to get rid of 90 percent of single-use plastic bottles by 2025, replacing them with more environmentally-friendly materials, according to CNBC.

Cleaning up ocean plastic has been a focus of European countries. U.K. scientists released a study that claimed that single-use plastic bag bans have significantly reduced the amount of trash that ended up in the ocean.

The EU is one step closer to banning single-use plastics https://t.co/MySAnSFQEm #environment #Europe pic.twitter.com/rdkUNUWKDt

— World Economic Forum (@wef) May 30, 2018

"Plastic waste is undeniably a big issue and Europeans need to act together to tackle this problem, because plastic waste ends up in our air, our soil, our oceans, and in our food," EU Commission vice president Frans Timmermans said, according to CNBC.

In addition to its plastic bag bans, the U.K. brought up the idea of banning the sale of plastic straws.

The proposal now is in the hands of the European Parliament and Council, and the Commission is hopeful that it will be approved before the EU elections next May.