Europe frames rules to reduce plastic bags use
The European Commission will also evaluate the impact on the environment of oxo-degradable plastic materials, which fragment into small particles
BS B2B Bureau B2B Connect | Brussels (Belgium)
<a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-183067088/stock-photo-young-woman-walking-on-a-busy-city-street-and-holding-colored-plastic-shopping-bags-with-various.html?src=ofAOQf4jiuNEEhFgkECTow-1-27" target="_blank">Bags</a> image via Shutterstock.
Plastic bags have been blamed for polluting the environment, especially aquatic ecosystems. In 2010 there were 200 bags for everyone who lived in the EU, according to an estimate by the European Parliamentary Research Service.
According to the new rules, member states could either ban free plastic bags for shoppers by 2018 or else ensure that the average consumption of them does not exceed 90 a year per person by 2019.
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The European Commission would be required to evaluate the impact on the environment of oxo-degradable plastic materials, which fragment into small particles, and propose measures accordingly.
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First Published: Nov 27 2014 | 11:13 AM IST