The EU Directive On Single Use Plastics

This is a directive that affects 27 members of state and addresses the need to reduce the amount of plastic entering our marine environment.The document was published on May 28th 2018 and passed in December 2018. We currently await visibility of amendments to the directive which will become EU law in January 2021. The UK will adopt the EU directive on single use plastic regardlessof EU membership status.

The main objective is prevention and reduction of plastic marine litter from single use plastic items and fishing gear. Since the directive was published bio based biodegradable plastics (PLA, CPLA etc) have been brought into the plastic categorisation regardless of whether they have been derived from biomass and /or intend to biodegrade over time. Packaging items affected by this directive include straws, cutlery, paper cups and plastic cups.