European Parliament Votes to Reduce Plastic Bag Use

The European Parliament voted and passed the  European Directive draft on single-use shopping bags fixing its reduction with targets set at 50% by 2017 and 80% by 2019.
The ruling recognizes that compostable bags are less harmful to the environment than conventional plastic bags.

• Countries that have implemented a ban can keep that legislation in place.

• Countries that have implemented a tax are supported because reusable bags cannot be sold for less than the tax.

• Oxo-degradable plastics are disqualified as an appropriate material.

By acknowledging that certified compostable bags are important for communities and linking it with scientific standards, the ruling supports the international zero waste movement and successes in Milan and San Francisco.

For more information on biodegradable plastic bags read about it in a study done by Woods End Labs commissioned by Mother Earth News. Woods End Study