The European Union has officially said “Bye, Felicia!” to plastic straws, voting to implement a single-use plastic ban—and glitter could be next on the chopping block.
In a nearly unanimous decision, the European Parliament recently voted for the ban on plastic straws and other single-use plastics, such as plastic cutlery, stirrers, plastic plates and balloon sticks. E.U. Countries have until 2021 to comply with the new standards. The ban also requires countries in the European Union to ensure that 25 percent of the content used to make plastic bottles must be recycled by 2025.
photo: Alexis_Fotos via Pixabay
Other plastic items that won’t be banned—such as the packaging for wet wipes—must include a label warning consumers that the product contains plastic that can be harmful to the environment.
Environmental advocates are pushing for the ban to extend to other items including glitter, as most glitter is made with plastic. Scientists support this move by noting that glitter is a microplastic that not only ends up being ingested by marine animals, but it can in turn be consumed by humans eating seafood.
—Shahrzad Warkentin
Featured photo: Amber Lamoreaux via Pexels
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