In the ongoing discussion of a potential ban for single-use plastic carrier bags on one level and tougher regulations on a more comprehensive level, the lobby in support of such measures has gained some prominent voices: On 14 January members of the European Parliament (EP) voted in favour of a resolution which sets an ambitious goal for the collection, recycling and recovering of waste. Namely, by 2020 the most hazardous plastics and certain plastic bags should be banned as part of an overall EU strategy to reduce plastic waste in the environment. The members of European Parliament (MEP) propose specific binding targets for the collection and sorting of up to 80% of waste need to be included in EU legislation. In addition, mandatory criteria for recycling as well as harmonised ones for the collection and sorting of waste should be framed to ensure fair competition. They also approve of a review of the current EU directive on packaging waste. Essentially, with the announcement made by the EP, the members have voiced and voted their support of the November European Commission (EC) proposal calling for a ban on single-use ultra lightweight carrier bags – see Plasteurope.com of 06.11.2013.

EP members are requesting the EU make proposals by the end of 2014 to phase out landfilling of recyclable and recoverable waste by 2020 and to discourage the incineration of the waste. They also urge that plastic waste should not be used for energy recovery unless all other options have been exhausted. Finally, the most dangerous plastics need to be withdrawn from the market and the usage of single-use plastic bags must be phased out wherever possible. In calling on the various actions to become bold legislation, the MEPs were arguing that damage caused to the environment is a direct result of weak enforcement of EU legislation on waste as well as due to the lack of specific EU laws on plastic wastes despite their "particularities".

"Parliament has shown the way to deal with the huge problem of the detrimental impact of plastic waste on the environment and human health," said Italian MEP Vittorio Prodi, adding, "We said today that we want to change bad habits and account for our products, from production through final disposal. By putting these products to good use and recycling them whenever possible, we close the loop and give effect to the 'circular economy' concept. This will help us clean up our seas and land, while creating more job opportunities." Currently, just 25% of plastics waste EU-wide is recycled. A full enforcement of the EU legislation on waste could save an estimated EUR 72 bn annually, boost annual turnover of EU waste management and recycling firms by EUR 42 bn and create more than 400,000 jobs by 2020, say the MEPs.

Reactions in Germany to the announcement by the EP have been mixed. The national association for plastics recycling, the Bundesverband Sekundärrohstoffe und Entsorgung (bvse, Bonn; www.bvse.de) welcomed the call for effective recycling measures. "The MEPs have recognised that plastics recycling is a fundamental aspect of a functioning and resource-friendly circular economy," declared Dr. Dirk Textor, head of the the bvse. The association was also pleased with the inclusion of a deadline for the measures to be in place. However, the bvse took a critical stance to the proposal of entirely banning some types of plastics. The association also said it could not support the EP's view on bioplastics "We have always felt that the use of the label "bio" has found a disproportionally overvalued qualification among the public," noted Textor.

Meanwhile, the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Verpackung und Umwelt (AGVU, Bonn; www.agvu.de), a national workgroup for packaging and the environment, denounced the demand for a ban on plastic carrier bags with a thickness of less than 50 microns in all EU member states stating that the measure does not address the real issue to solving the most pressing environmental problems such as marine littering. The sources and causes of the most devastating effects to the environment and the respective measures to curb them must be differentiated and resolved accordingly, based on each member state. In many countries, the appropriate infrastructure is missing, thus making it next to impossible to deal realistically with waste management issues, explained AGVU head Prof. Werner Delfmann.