Products that don't use recycled plastic will cost 10 percent more in the future, according to a government plan. The proposed initiative is one part of a series of measures to get the country to recycle all its plastic.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/B. Wüstneck
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France plans to introduce a penalty system for consumer goods that are packaged with non-recycled plastic, an Environment Ministry official said in a newspaper interview on Sunday.
The French government has pledged to transition the country to recycling 100 percent of its plastic by 2025 to reduce the vast amount ofplastic finding its way into oceans.
How France will promote recycled plastic
Brune Poirson, secretary of state for ecological transition, told Journal du Dimanche newspaper that the government would introduce a series of measures:
From 2019 products without recycled plastic packaging will cost up to 10 percent more.
A deposit-refund scheme for plastic bottles will be introduced.
Taxes on burying trash in landfill will increase, while taxes for recycling operations will be cut.
Superfluous and substitutable plastic products such as straws, cups and plates will be banned by 2020.
The color of recycling bins will be standardized across the country.
Once scenic coastlines filled with bottles, animals choking on bits of plastic, people picking through the material on vast rubbish dumps: Our love affair with plastic is taking a huge environmental toll.
Image: Daniel Müller/Greenpeace
The age of plastic
Plastic is lightweight, durable — and wildly popular. We've produced 8.3 billion metric tons of the material since mass production began in the 1950s. Because it doesn't easily biodegrade, much of what we've made now lives in landfills like this one on Nairobi's outskirts. Rubbish pickers there hunt for recyclable plastics to earn a living. But a lot of plastic also ends up in the ocean ...
Image: Reuters/T. Mukoya
Rivers of plastic
Much plastic enters marine habitats through rivers like, the Yangtze, the Indus, the Ganges, Pearl River, and the Mekong. These rivers run through highly populated areas with a lack of adequate waste disposal infrastructure. Here, a fisherman in the Philippines removes a fish and crab trap from plastic-filled waters.
Image: picture-alliance/Pacific Press/G. B. Dantes
A plastic welcome to the world
Some animals have found uses for plastic waste. This swan nested in garbage on a Copenhagen lake that is popular with tourists. Her cygnets hatched surrounded by waste. It's not the best start to life. But for some animals the consequences are much worse ...
Image: picture-alliance/Ritzau Scanpix
Deadly consequences
Although plastic is highly durable and can be used for products with a long lifespan, such as furniture and piping, about 50 percent goes to disposable products, including single-use cutlery and six pack rings that end up in the natural environment. Animals, like this penguin, are in danger of becoming entangled and dying as a result.
Image: picture-alliance/Photoshot/Balance
Eating plastic
Other animals mistake the material for food. This albatross chick was found dead on Sand Island in Hawaii with multiple pieces of plastic in its stomach. According to one study of 34 seabird species in northern Europe, Russia, Iceland, Svalbard, the Faroe Islands, Scandinavia and Greenland, 74 percent had ingested plastic. Eating the material can lead to organ damage and blockages in the gut.
Even larger animals aren't immune to the effects of consuming plastic. This whale was found struggling to breathe and swim in a Thai canal. As rescuers attempted to save the animal, it vomited five plastic bags and later died. During the necropsy, vets found 80 shopping bags and other plastic garbage had clogged up the whale's stomach, so the marine creature could no longer digest nutritious food.
Image: Reuters
Visible and invisible plastic
We're well aware of the large pieces of plastic bobbing on the ocean's surface, as is pictured here off the Hawaiian coast. But did you know, trillions of tiny particles less than 5 millimeters in diameter are also floating around in there? These particles end up in the food chain. Sea plankton, which are an important source of food for fish and other marine animals, have been filmed eating them.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center
An end in sight?
Tentative measures to cut down on disposable plastic have already been taken in some African countries with bans on plastic bags, while the European Union is looking into prohibiting single-use plastic products. But if current trends continue, scientists believe there will be 12 billion metric tons of plastic on the planet by 2050.
Image: Daniel Müller/Greenpeace
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Low rates: Just 25 percent of plastic in France is recycled. Single use plastic bags have already been outlawed in supermarkets, but France is hoping to make serious steps in line with European Commission goals.
What about yogurt?
"Declaring war on plastic is not enough. We need to transform the French economy," Poirson told the paper. "When there's a choice between two bottles, one made of recycled plastic and the other without, the first will be less expensive," she said.
Flore Berlingen of the association Zero Waste France told Agence France-Presse: "We're hoping that companies play along so that clients aren't the ones penalized."
Emmanuel Guichard of the Elipso federation of plastic packaging makers gave a cautious welcome: "For bottles, giving consumers a choice is possible. But we can't forget other items — today there's no recycled plastic available for yogurt pots."
Alternatives to single-use plastics
The European Commission is planning a ban on disposable products like plastic straws, plastic plates and plastic cutlery. But that doesn't mean you'll have to go without these convenient items altogether.
Billions of plastic straws end up as waste. The European Union wants to ban these and other single-use plastics, which end up in rubbish dumps or in our oceans. But for those who just can't stop sucking — like Marco Hort, who set a world record with 259 straws stuffed in his mouth — there are environmentally friendly alternatives.
Image: AP
Drink it, eat it
Animals in the ocean often try to eat plastic straws. To protect the environment, you can now eat the straw yourself. The German startup Wisefood has developed an edible straw made out of the leftovers from Germany's apple juice production. Alternatively, you can also acquire a multiple-use straw made from metal, bamboo or glass.
Image: Wisefood
We are forked!
There are no exact numbers of how many plastic forks, knives and spoons are used once and then dumped. But it's enough for the EU to want to say goodbye to them. If you need to eat on the run and can't use metal silverware, you might try edible versions. The Indian startup Bakey's offers forks made out of sorghum; the US company SpudWares, out of potato starch. Yummy!
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Scholz
No leftovers
Talking about eating your plastic alternatives: You might also like to try edible plates, since plastic plates will be on the way out under the EU's ban. The Polish company Biotrem has developed plates made from bran. In case you are already full from your meal, don't worry: The plates are organic and decompose after 30 days.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/A. Reszko
Cut the cup
Besides banning the private use of disposable plastic products, the EU aims to encourage fast food chains, cafes and bars to curb the use of plastic cups. Half a trillion plastic cups are consumed every year — most of them being used for a single drink, then staying in the environment for eternity. Several companies now offer plant-based alternatives.
Image: picture-alliance/empics/D. Thompson
It's not plastic
One of those companies is the Balinese startup Avani. It has developed a compostable bioplastic made from corn starch. Although, the cups look and feel like petroleum-based plastic cups, they are biodegradable. However, they decompose best in a commercial composting facility, and not in your backyard
Image: Avani-Eco
Reuse, reuse, reuse
The easiest way to replace plastic cups is by using reusable mugs. But we might not always have our personal coffee cups on hand while we are out on the streets. Berlin is among German cities testing out a pilot project allowing coffee aficionados to borrow a reusable bamboo mug for a small deposit, and return it at another cafe at a later point.
Image: justswapit
Clean ears, dirty oceans
Another plastic product the EU would see gone are ear buds. When disposed of improperly, they end up in the ocean, where animals mistake them for food. There are plastic-free alternatives with the stem made from bamboo or paper. But hardcore environmentalists say it's best to stop using them altogether — you can use your towel to clean your ears.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/Wildlife Photographer of the Year /J. Hofman
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Plastic growth: Global plastic production has increased more than 40 percent over the past 10 years, largely driven by packaging.
The EU's position: The European Commission has made cutting down on plastic a priority for the bloc, introducing laws in May requiring the use of alternative materials, and incentives for businesses.
Plastic soup: A 2015 research report found that each year roughly 8 million metric tons (8.8 million US tons) of plastic are discarded into the ocean. The plastic forms vast patches of floating waste, but also breaks down into tiny particles and enters the food chain.