Worldwide Plastic Ban

It’s official - the world is waking up. People are noticing the impact plastic has on our world. Reducing waste by not using a straw, carrying a durable bag with a refillable bottle inside is a needed trend that we should all be on.

And about time too! Everyone loves a clean planet. With money, power or without you’d feel the same. Trash sucks and most of it is plastic that is not biodegradable. It’s obvious that it is in everybody’s best interest to keep our planet as pristine as possible.

It would just be great if we could speed up the process - but as most people know, change is not that easy. Making the most of every milestone achieved is a good way to stay positive.

EU Plastic Ban 2021

There are people on this planet who don’t mind our carbon footprint. But luckily for us, there are many people that do. So much so that a plastic ban has been accepted in the EU.

Since October 2018,single-use plastic items such as plates, cutlery, straws, balloon sticks or cotton buds, will be banned in the EU from 2021. These items make up 70% of the waste found in water.

Several other items, for which no alternative exists, will have to be reduced by member states by least 25% by 2025. Other plastics, such as beverage bottles, will have to be collected separately and recycled at a rate of 90% by 2025.

No Smoking Please

If you are a smoker, now is a good time to quit or find more eco-friendly alternatives. They are the second most littered single-use plastic items. One cigarette butt can pollute between 500 and 1000 liters of water. Throwing your cigarette butt on the footpath or out of a window? Go back to the spot where you left it 12 years later - it will still be there.

MEPs agreed that tobacco product waste, in particular, cigarette filters that contain plastic would have to be reduced by 50% by 2025 and 80% by 2030.

After the European parliamentary vote, the environment commissioner, Karmenu Vella, said:“Today we are one step closer to eliminating the most problematic single-use plastic products in Europe. It sends a clear signal that Europe is ready to take decisive, coordinated action to curb plastic waste and to lead international efforts to make our oceans plastic-free.”

Companies and the Plastic Ban

• All products where alternatives are readily available and affordable, including plastic cotton swabs, cutlery, plates, straws, drink stirrers and sticks for balloons will be banned.
• Companies must reduce the use of plastic food containers and drink cup because member states will be watching and measuring.
• Companies will have to help to cover the costs of waste management and cleanup.
• Certain products, such as sanitary towels, wet wipes, and balloons, will have to have clear labeling which indicates how they should be disposed of.
• Member states and companies will be required to raise the awareness of consumers about the negative impact of littering as well as the re-use and waste management options available.

Worldwide Achievements

The world is so immersed in plastic and waste that when you go to an island, in the middle of nowhere and where no one has ever been before, you will find our trace. Social media is flooding with updates: a river of trash here, a mountain of trash there.

Cities around the world are demanding the government to integrate a more sustainable and eco-friendly lifestyle. The focus has been so immense that Collins dictionary selected the word “single-use” as the word of the year in 2018.

The world still has a long way to go, but it is moving. In a 2018 report, the UN found that out of 127 countries 66% have implemented policies to regulate and remove the use of plastic bags. The strategies vary from banning them completely, to adding taxes or charging a fee.

Countries in Europe and the Pacific islands are offering money for returned plastic items and have implemented plastic collection center or payment schemes. This strategy is helping 27 countries reach their plastic recycling targets.

The Ocean Clean Up

The UN-commissioned Ocean Clean Up Project started its trial run late last year. A floating tube powered by wind, solar and wave energy is set to clean the great pacific garbage patch - a big garbage pile that is1.6 million square kilometers – 3 times the size of France – and contains 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic. That amounts to 250 pieces for every person on the planet.

The project consists of a 600-meter-long floater that sits at the surface of the water where most of the debris can be found. It filters through all the materials keeping only the plastic. The plastic is brought back for recycling and the Ocean Clean Up is paid for its work.

Join the Trend

We all need to do our part for a better future. Let’s jump on the trend by doing what we can. Reduce your waste, invest in refillable bottles and get yourself a nice bag to carry all your goods and avoid useless packaging and plastic bags.

Check out our bag collection here!