The EU agreed on Monday to make all packaging recyclable by 2030 and ban single-use plastic containers in restaurants while limiting PFAS (“persistent pollutants”), measures that come with hard-to-get exemptions, AFP reported.

From parcels to coffee cups, Europeans have never produced more packaging waste: 188.7 kg per capita in 2021 (a jump of 32 kg over the decade), with only 64% recycled (40% for plastic packaging), according to . Eurostat.

To remedy this situation, the 27 EU member states have set themselves the goal of reducing packaging waste by 5% by 2030 (compared to 2018), then by 10% in 2035 and by 15% in 2040.

First of all, from 2030 all packaging in the EU must be recyclable, and by 2035 it must be systematically recycled to encourage a circular economy.

These goals are included in the landmark Green Deal text agreed on Monday night by member states and the European Parliament.

“This is a historic moment: for the first time in law, Europe seeks to reduce the consumption of packaging, regardless of the material (glass, plastic, metal, etc.),” ​​emphasizes the speaker, Member of the European Parliament Frederic Ries.