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Straws, cotton swabs, disposable cutlery – consumers in Austria will have to say goodbye to disposable plastic products. An EU directive from 2019 comes into force tomorrow. However, the articles are not completely off the market for the time being.
In all EU member states, all single-use plastic products are to disappear from the market as of this Saturday. This is provided for by an EU directive banning plastic tableware from 2019. The ban, which takes effect on the July 3, 2021 deadline, affects disposable products such as single-use cutlery and plates, drinking straws, stirrers, cotton swabs and balloon wands made of plastic. To-go containers as well as beverage cups made of Styrofoam will also be banned from being put on the market for the first time.
Reusable instead of disposable – Alternatives to banned plastic products
From now on, retailers are required to use reusable alternatives made of glass or metal. However, disposable products still in stock may continue to be sold.
Disposable plates, cups or cutlery made from bio-based or biodegradable plastics will also be banned. The same applies to disposable tableware made of cardboard, only a small proportion of which is made of plastic or is coated with plastic. National implementation of the EU directive banning plastic tableware is the responsibility of the individual member states. More reliable data on the status of implementation will not be available until after the July 3 deadline, according to a spokeswoman for the European Parliament.
- hp with reports from ntv.de/picture: pixabay.com
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