The European Parliament has overwhelmingly voted to ban many single-use plastics by a vote of 571-53, reports the BBC. While there are some additional procedural steps before the ban goes into in effect, the EU expects the ban on single-use cutlery, cotton buds, straws and coffee stirrers to go into effect throughout Europe by 2021.
The ban also includes directives to reduce the use of items for which no alternatives exist by 25%. These items include single-use sandwich boxes and food containers for items such as produce and desserts like ice cream.
Cigarette filters containing plastic will also have to be reduced 50% by 2025 and 80% by 2030. According to Ocean Conservancy, cigarette butts are the most collected item of litter on the beach.
