The European Parliament voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to ban single-use plastic products such as straws, eating utensils and coffee sticks across the European Union.
The measure passed 571 to 53, with 34 abstentions.
If approved by the European Commission — the EU executive — and individual states, the ban would become law in 2021.
Supporters say plastics are a major source of pollution that chokes oceans, litters cities, and can take decades to disintegrate.
Some U.S. cities have moved to ban plastic straws in restaurants after a heartbreaking video of a wildlife rescuer pulling a straw out of a turtle’s bloody nose was posted on the internet earlier this year.
A consortium of European plastics manufacturers called the EU bill “disproportionate” and said banning single-use plastics discourages investment into new ways to recycle.
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The EU plastics bill also includes deadlines for reducing or recycling other plastics such as bottles, fishing lines, food wrappers, and cigarette filters. (VOA)
