Goodbye single-use plastic, the EU bans it. And life becomes greener

A greener approach to life, a way to move more consciously on planet Earth: the European Union bans products in disposable plastic. From July 3, 2021 in fact, the ban on the sale (and consequently on the use) of these products will come into force.

The EU has been working towards this for several years. There Directive 2019/904 of the European Parliament and Council has already taken its first steps to reduce plastic waste, but what will happen in the coming months will have a much wider and more drastic impact: our supermarkets will gradually (and then definitively) see the items we use disappear still on a daily basis, moving more or less unconsciously towards damaging the environment.

cotton swab, cutlery, dishes, glasses, straws, stirrers, balloons, food containers, cups and beverage containers, along with some wrappers and a range of health care products, will be phased out in favor of equally affordable, but far more sustainable options. The objective of the directive, in fact, is not only to prevent and reduce the impact of single-use plastics on the environment, but also to promote the transition towards acircular economy with innovative and sustainable business models, products and materials.

This happens because, despite the constant invitation to a more ecological and conscious life, there are still many (too many) finds of enormous quantities of plastic on beaches and in natural environments throughout Europe. This suggests that there are still many people who underestimate the impact of what are considered objects of common use. Indeed, too common.

Let’s take a step back and look at the situation as a whole: even though efforts are being made around the world to reduce plastic waste, single-use products remain one of the consumption habits more difficult to eradicate. This causes the impacts of this plastic waste on theenvironment and our health become more and more drastic: just think this kind of items are among the ten most commonly found litter on European beaches, along with fishing gear. And not only that: on the whole they represent the 70% of all marine litter in the EU.

All that remains, therefore, is to wait for July to finally get rid of what is to be considered a poison for our planet. And, in the meantime, start helping the environment by adopting sustainable solutions, starting to anticipate.

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