EU sets target for plastic waste

Move comes after China ends imports, recycling of such products

The European Union unveiled ambitious plans on Tuesday to tackle the mountain of plastic waste that is starting to build following China's decision to no longer import and recycle a wide range of such products.

The European Commission, the EU-executive, said all plastic packaging used in Europe must be recyclable by 2030, and it also called for more efforts to be made to recycle those products within the EU.

AFP reported Frans Timmermans, the commission's first vice-president, said the EU wants to "stop plastics getting into our water, our food and even our bodies".

He said the only long-term solution was to reduce plastic waste by recycling and reusing more within the EU.

"The Chinese decision is undoubtedly a big challenge but let's turn that challenge into an opportunity," he added.

China had been importing and recycling Europe's plastic waste on a massive scale for decades and had repeatedly warned that it would stop doing so, in the best interests of the environment and the Chinese public.

Before China's ban came into force on Jan 1, the EU's own data shows Europeans were generating 25 million tons of plastic waste a year, but that less than 30 percent of it was being collected for recycling, with 85 percent of that then being shipped off to China.

"The commission aims to increase plastic recycling and for all plastic packaging to be reusable or recyclable by 2030," the executive body said.

AFP reported that the commission hopes its decision will stimulate business opportunities and ensure there is a huge change in the way plastic products are designed, produced, and recycled in Europe.

The commission is also understood to be planning to restrict so-called microplastics, which are used in cosmetics and detergents, and has plans to bring in new rules for ports and the shipping industry, to ensure waste generated at sea by ships is not released into the water.