Cotton swabs with a plastic base, straws, skewers and disposable dishes will be banned in Ukraine
Ukraine plans to ban the production, import, circulation and distribution of certain plastic products in order to reduce their negative impact on the environment.
About this informs press service of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources.
In particular, it is planned to ban:
- hygienic cotton buds with plastic bases;
- Styrofoam containers and plastic containers in the form of blister packs or trays for ready-to-eat or take-out food;
- stirrers and straws for drinks;
- sticks for balloons;
- skewers;
- disposable forks, knives, spoons, plates, etc.
These measures are related to Ukraine’s desire to become a full member of the European Union, which is actively working to reduce the amount of plastic waste.
According to Article 6 of the Directive, the EU member states had to take all measures so that from July 3 of this year, the corresponding plastic products were presented on European markets exclusively with attached lids.
Such a decision should ensure that the cap is recycled together with the bottle, and not thrown separately into the trash, or even worse – into the soil or water.
According to expert estimates, only 10-15% of single-use plastic is recycled annually worldwide. At the same time, in 2019, 130 million tons of single-use plastic were thrown away in the world. In Australia, there were 59 kilograms of such waste per man, in the USA – 53 kg, in Japan – 37, in Canada – 34, in Italy – 23 kg.
This decision was made on the basis of EU Directive 2019/904, adopted in 2019, which aims to reduce the impact of certain plastic products on the environment.
“Following the European Union, Ukraine implements the best European practices in the fight for a clean environment. A draft law is currently being prepared that will allow the implementation of Directive 2019/904“, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources noted.
