BRUSSELS — The European Parliament is set to implement a plastic ban that would restrict the use of single-use plastic items in the next two years, Reuters reports.<br /><br />Lawmakers voted last week in favor of banning a total of 10 single-use plastic items including cutlery, straws and balloon sticks.<br /><br />Disposable containers made out of expanded polystyrene as well as products made out of oxo-degradable plastic will also be banned in order to cut down on marine plastic pollution, according to a European Parliament news release.<br /><br />According to the European Commission, 80 percent of litter in the ocean was found to be plastic.<br /><br />By the year 2025, it will be mandatory for plastic bottles in Europe to contain at least 25 percent of recycled content.<br /><br />The legislation also set a target of collecting and recycling 90 percent of the single-use plastic bottles by 2029.<br /><br />Companies in Europe will be required to teach users how to correctly dispose of items such as tobacco filters, plastic cups and wet wipes, CNN reports.
