THE European Parliament has decided for a complete ban on a range of single-use plastics within the union with an innovation to prevent pollution of the oceans.
MEPs voted a ban on plastic cutlery and plates, cotton buds, straws, drink-stirrers and balloon sticks.
The proposal further calls for a decrease in single-use plastic for food and drink containers like plastic cups.
One MEP stated, if no action was taken, “by 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the oceans”.
The European Commission proposed a ban in May, following a surge in public support attributed to documentaries such as David Attenborough’s BBC Blue Planet series.
The measure still has to clear some procedural hurdles, but is expected to go through. The EU hopes it will go into effect across the bloc by 2021.
The UK will also have to incorporate the rules into national law if the ban becomes a fully-fledged directive before the end of a Brexit transition period.