EU Parliament voted to reduce packaging waste

2023-11-22 20:12:00

Very light plastic bags should be banned entirely, unless they serve hygienic purposes or prevent food from going bad. The PFAS chemicals, which are particularly difficult to degrade, should also be banned. In addition, a reduction in packaging waste of five percent by 2030, ten percent by 2035 and 15 percent by 2040 is required. There should be a reduction of 10, 15 and 20 percent for plastic packaging.

With today’s vote, the European Parliament has defined its position with which it can go into negotiations with the Council of the EU – i.e. the EU member states. However, the EU countries must first find their own position in the Council.

In the run-up to the vote, ÖVP MP Alexander Bernhuber welcomed the goal of avoiding waste, as he said in a press conference on Tuesday. However, he is critical of a ban on small packaging. Using the example of small packets of salt, the politician fears hygiene problems.

Reducing waste is also an important goal for FPÖ mandater Roman Haider. However, the EU regulation focuses too much on reuse and less on recycling. “Instead of being open to technology, the EU is once again narrowing its focus to one solution and thereby threatening to destroy functioning recycling cycles,” said Haider in a press release.

The Greens and the SPÖ support the regulation. EU MP Thomas Waitz criticized on Tuesday that there had been massive lobbying by the industry against the text in advance. SPÖ delegation leader Andreas Schieder said at a press conference in Brussels: “With a little thought, this will be possible for the industry.”