EU Finalizes Ban on Some Single-Use Plastics

The Council of the European Union has voted to adopt measures banning “the 10 single-use plastic products most often found on European beaches,” including cutlery, plates, straws, drink stirrers, cups and other food and beverage containers. The ban focuses on products for which alternatives not constructed of single-use plastic are readily available. The decision will take effect 20 days after it is published in the Official Journal of the European Union, and member countries will have two years to implement the legislation in their national laws.