Biological plastic alternatives, circular economy and avoiding microplastics – founders coming up with all kinds of clever ideas
Plastic caps or lids on bottled drinks must be firmly attached to containers in future, according to an EU regulation effective since Wednesday (July 3, 2024). Loose caps are one of the ten types of plastic waste that wash up most frequently on beaches across the EU. “By 2030, all plastic packaging on the EU market should be reusable or cost-effectively recyclable”, according to the EU Plastics Strategy. To drive up recycling rates, non-recyclable materials are now banned from packaging. Around 150,000 to 500,000 tonnes of plastic waste ends up in the sea every year. and less than 30 per cent of the 25.8 million tonnes plastic waste produced annually in Europe is recycled, according to the European Commission.