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MEMBERS OF THE European Parliament have overwhelmingly voted for an EU-wide ban on a range of single-use plastics, such as the straws, cutlery and cotton buds, by 2021.
The new law also sets a 90% collection target for plastic bottles by 2029 and states that recycled materials should make up 25% of each plastic bottle by 2025. That’s to increase to 30% by 2030.
The Single-Use Plastics Directive voted on today passed by 560 votes to 35 in the Strasbourg assembly.
The measures had been proposed to tackle marine litter coming from the 10 single-use plastic products most often found on European beaches, as well as abandoned fishing gear and oxo-degradable plastics.
The EU Commission said the ban is on selected single-use products made of plastic for which alternatives exist on the market. This includes cotton bud sticks, cutlery, plates, straws, stirrers, sticks for balloons, as well as cups, food and beverage containers made of expanded polystyrene and on all products made of oxo-degradable plastic.
Commenting on today’s vote, Sinn Féin MEP Lynn Boylan said while it is a “positive first step” more needs to be done to reduce plastic waste.
“The bans are great and they will help but there is a whole range of plastic pollution out there that we need to get to grips with,” Boylan told EuroParlRadio.
That’s about dealing with that throw-away culture. We see those cheap discount stores, all of those that are always promoting plastic tat basically and telling you that you need to be buying it.
According to the EU Commission, the products prohibited under the law represent 70% of the waste that pours into the world’s oceans, posing a threat to wildlife and fisheries.
EU Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans said Europe was not the worst source of plastic pollution, but that the pioneering measure could serve as an example to the world.
“Asian countries are very much interested in what we’re doing. Latin American countries too,” he said.
“Even though our share of the pollution is relatively limited, our change of the economic model has a global impact.”
Rules insisting that polluters pay the costs of a clean-up are strengthened, particularly for cigarette manufacturers, who will have to support the recycling of discarded filters.
With reporting from © – AFP, 2019
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It’s really not that hard to slow down. Your destination will still be there and you’ll still have your life and a car at the end.
Why are you assuming speed was the cause?
You can overturn an low speeds.
What else causes cars to roll over? Pretty sure there weren’t extreme winds or an angry mob around to push the car over.
Don’t be willfully ignorant. Most car accidents (rollovers included) in this country are caused by excessive speed.
Stupidity that’s what. You don’t need to be particularly fast to overturn a car.
I once rolled a car over a couple of years ago going at a low speed. Tight corner down a fairly narrow rural road I hit a slippy/oily patch and lost the rear, I panicked and ran out of road as I tried to correct it – I went into the ditch which acted like a ramp, so to speak, and she rolled over. Definitely wasn’t me going too fast. To be fair though from that photo it seems the driver was on a nice good stretch of road so you have to think speed did play a part.
Seeingeye, the marks on the road aren’t very long, which could mean it didn’t go very far upside down, that’d suggest lower speed, and that car looks light and fairly tall, so maybe a higher centre of gravity!! That could overturn it without high speed!!
In fairness, The Fiat Panda will role a lot sooner and easier than other cars due to its odd dynamics of narrow axel width combined with high center of gravity. Two lads could push one over.
Ya, it’s definitely possible to roll at low speed. You can tell by the comparatively low roof damage that the vehicle wasn’t being driven excessively fast.
@seeingeye – don’t be wilfully ignorant ? Would you not apply this to your own comment ? You can roll a car at low speed. This is fact, not science fiction.
Rear tyre on the drivers side is different from the rest, such combination is a deathtrap.
I am honestly surprised that this is legal and does not void the insurance.
That’s why you don’t buy a car that looks like a confused mutated blue bubble.
A 4 sentence story….wow give me more of this obdulla longata porn.
Same story as yesterday’s today?
Fiat Panda, must have rolled over a snail
Did Holmatro sponsor this post?
It’ll be on car sales websites as a time warp minter in a few weeks time.
Thats a wide road along there, it turned over because of bad driving is all
Is that a fiat cinquecento or (chunttogetinto)
There was a strong gust of wind in Tallaght yesterday morning.
Not a single mention about the fire truck being a Scania 340 4×2 crew cab.
have your say