Every year, Europeans generate about 26million tonnes of plastic waste but less than 30% is collected for recycling.
On 27 March 2019 The European Parliament voted for the ‘Single-Use Plastics Directive’.
This new Directive is for implementation in 2021.
It places greater responsibility on manufacturers and suppliers to design products for recycling, reprocessing or reworking.
In 2018 the U.K. government implemented its own laws ahead of the EU on plastic waste and targets for reducing single-use plastics.
There will be product exemptions, including medical devices and products for healthcare.
Single-use medical products not suitable for cleaning or re-use will still be sold.
Hospital and healthcare products are often contaminated. As a bio-hazard they are considered high risk and unsuitable for recycling.
For further information
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/03/28/europe/eu-single-use-plastics-ban-intl-scli/index.html