The European Union decides to ban use of plastic straws until 2021

STRASBOURG, FRANCE-Legislators of the European Union (EU) decided on Wednesday, 24, ban the use of products such as rolls and swabs made of plastic, and press manufacturers to recycle in an effort to curb pollution of the oceans. Under the proposal, supported by the majority of the European Parliament, 10 products made of plastics that are biodegradable alternatives, will be banned until 2021. EU countries will be required to recycle 90% of plastic bottles until 2025 and the producers will have to help cover the costs of waste management. "We are sending a strong signal to the industry," said Belgian MEP Frederique Ries. "There is a broad and growing popular support in this matter," he added, which represents Parliament in negotiations with European Governments. The EU recycles only a quarter of the 25 million tons of plastic waste it produces per year. China's decision to curb the waste processing along with the growing alarm about the damage of pollution to the oceans have done the continent no longer depend on developing countries to deal with their waste. Regulators expect the new rules lead to a fall in the prices of recyclable plastics. The new legislation still needs to be approved by the EU Council of Ministers before the real thing for the countries, some of which failed in the mission to stop the excessive consumption of material, concerned with the difficulty that would be to implement the measures in the sector industrial. But the Deputy Head of the EU Executive, which coordinates efforts to end plastic waste calls for mobilization. "Europe has reached an agreement about the fact that we can't just put that issue on the back of someone else," said Frans Timmermans. He also stated that it was encouraged by a change in the private sector towards the voluntary recycling and public activism. "This is the first strategy in the world that looks at the whole question of the role that plastic plays in our economy," said Timmermans. "If we don't act now, if we do not act quickly, we will have more plastic than fish in the oceans."/REUTERS