EU plans to fully recycle plastic packaging by 2030
2022-04-08
In order to combat environmental pollution, the European Union has announced a plan to recycle plastic packaging. Under the plan, the EU will end the use of plastic products, including single-use coffee cups, by 2030. The European Commission said it hopes to increase the recycling rate of plastic packaging through the scheme and ensure that all plastic packaging can be recycled or reused by 2030. In addition, the EU hopes to create new business opportunities through the program.
At the same time, the EU will formulate new measures to improve the recyclability of plastic products used in the market and increase the use of recycled plastic components; it will improve the plastic recycling mechanism and establish a more advanced and standardized garbage sorting and collection system. Since plastic particles can enter the human body through air, water and food, the plan also includes measures to limit the use of plastic particles in cosmetics and detergents.
Statistics show that, globally, 85% of beach litter is plastic litter. Therefore, the measures announced by the EU also include cleaning up 700 kilograms of plastic waste that washes ashore every day. At the same time, the EU also plans to reduce the generation of marine litter at the source, and develop new rules for the port and shipping industry to ensure that the garbage generated by ships at sea is not discharged into the sea, but transported back to land and properly disposed of.
The European Commission will provide guidance to member governments and European companies on how to minimise plastic waste at source and support related technological innovations. The EU said that in addition to existing funding support, the EU will provide an additional 100 million euros in funding until 2020 to develop more recyclable plastic materials, improve recycling processes, and track and remove harmful substances in recycled plastics. and pollutants.
As for the reason for launching the plan, the EU said that the extensive use of plastic packaging has caused staggering waste in Europe, and plastic waste is often difficult to decompose, which has brought serious environmental problems. The European Commission pointed out that only 5% of the economic value of plastic packaging materials can be retained in economic activities, and the remaining 95% will disappear after the first use. This wastes between 70 billion and 105 billion euros per year across Europe. In addition, the EU generates around 25 million tonnes of plastic waste each year, but less than 30% is recycled. Non-recyclable plastic waste takes hundreds of years to decompose. The EU, as a single commodity market, has a responsibility to participate in addressing these issues.
“The EU also hopes to help the region's economy gradually transition to a circular economy through this plan. ”Jurki Katainen, Vice-President of the European Commission for Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness, said that the plan will promote economic growth and technological innovation in the EU while protecting the European environment from plastic pollution. By transforming the way plastic products are designed, produced, used and recycled, new investment and employment programmes can be generated, adding impetus to the EU's economic growth. Under this plan, the EU will do a good job in recycling business, curb plastic waste, put an end to littering at sea, promote investment in innovation, and stimulate global change.
Katainen sees the program as "a good opportunity for European industry to establish a global leadership position in new technologies and materials". He added that without a complete set of standards, Europe does not currently have a dedicated market for plastic recycling, so creating a market is a priority.
According to the statistics of the European Plastics Manufacturers Association, in 2015, the output value of the EU plastics industry reached 340 billion euros, and the number of employees exceeded 1.5 million. The EU plans to create 200,000 new jobs in the plastic waste sorting and recycling industry by 2030.
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2022-04-08
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