The European Parliament Plenary has adopted the Provisional Agreement of 18 December 2018 of the Single Use Plastics Directive (SUP). The Directive has been approved by a large majority of MEPs with 560 in favour, 35 not in favour and 28 abstentions.
Key considerations
- The directive is to ban the sale across
the EU by 2021 of single-use plastic cutlery (forks, knives, spoons and
chopsticks); single-use plastic plates; plastic straws; plastic beverage
stirrers; cotton bud sticks whose stems are plastic; and plastic balloon sticks
for domestic rather than commercial use;
- Commission Guidelines on what is to be considered an SUP
product will be developed as well as guidelines on clean-up costs; (this means other single use plastics may
also be included in the future, lightweight carrier bags maybe?)
- An average of 25% recycled content from
2025 for PET bottles and 30% from 2030 for all beverage bottles;
- By 2029, member states would have to
ensure 90% of plastic bottles used in their territories by 2029 are collected
for recycling;
- Consumption reduction: no specific
reduction target but Member States are to prepare by 1 year before end of
transposition a description of all the measures they have adopted and shall
notify description to EU Commission and make it publicly available;
- Packets and wrappers have been removed
from marking requirements;
- Ban of EPS food containers, beverage
containers and cups for beverages remains; ban of products made from
oxo-degradable plastic;
- In 2027, after evaluation of progress made, the EU
Commissions will submit a report, accompanied by legislative proposal if
appropriate.
Next steps
- Final confirmatory vote from
the EU Council of Ministers;
This is considered a formality as
agreement with EU Council has been already reached as part of trilogue meetings
in January 2019;
- Member States will have two years from the formal
adoption of the SUP Directive to implement the new rules.
To be further clarified
- The SUP Directive takes precedence over the
Packaging & Packaging Waste Directive and the Waste Framework
Directive;
Lex specialis status remains – this means that a derogation to
Art.18 of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive is possible but only if
it aims to prevent the littering of the products;
- Uncertainties remain over
the costs of clean-up which fall under Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).