European Parliament Bans Single-Use Plastics in Historic Vote

1. I had lunch at an American restaurant today and there was such a pile of little ramekins with lids, straws, aluminum cans, ketchup packs, coffee stirreres, styrofoam cups with lids, etc. With recycling on hold in the US, plastic that is held for recycling is either burned or put in landfills. The Koch brothers just put up $800 million dollars to increase the use of plastics. Plastic is made from oil and natural gas.

2. like stated below….USE FECKING HEMP!

3. Why can't cites provide water fountains and why can't people carry water in reusable containers? Single use plastic water bottles should be banned or taxed heavily.

4. How many women will be buying plastic junk containing unknown (to them) cocktail of chemicals sourced using child labour (like mica) to cover up their hideousness from the rest of us human beings? What happens to those chemicals that wiped off with a chemical laden plastic disposable face wipe or washed down the drain? What about all those sequinned dresses they buy year after year so that they can parrrrrtay while destroying our ecosystem? Multitasking at its finest.

   I'm pointing out women's consumer behaviour specifically because they're the biggest consumers. And most are ignorant too. They just parrot lines from the advertising campaigns and tend to know little about the individual ingredients they ritually apply and absorb into their tissue and blood through their skin. They've been conditioned since their teens (or even younger) that they're not pretty (whatever that's supposed to be) enough, curvy enough, skinny enough, exaggerated enough. You repeat something often enough, people will end up believing it. Predators can come in any form and the damage they inflict isn't always physical.

5. How many people will avoid buying plastic at this time if year when we have so much junk to buy for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Christmas, New Year, Valentine's, Easter, birthdays, anniversaries etc. We can't express emotions without physical junk to prove it. The ritualisation of consumerism has been a success.

6. How did UK MEPs vote?

7. About time. People carry their phones, make-up and other heavily advertised chemicals and plastics with them everywhere yet forget to carry a bottle, utensils or a napkin. It's heavily advertised (with input from psychologists) because if you used your common sense in regards to what you really need, you wouldn't bother with all the toxic, overpriced JUNK.

8. How much of this floating ocean plastic is contributing to global warming? Hasn't the plastic pollution increase the exact same hockey stick graph as CO2?

9. Thanks Europe for doing what is right even though it will hurt the bottom line of some big businesses. Something I've been advocating since 1995.

10. In Europe you find recycle boxes for wine bottles and glass on almost every street. We have these huge big box stores with giant parking lots. These big companies like Walmart, Target, Home Depot, Lowes, Costco should be required to provide recycle places, hell they do sell us most our goods these days. And why is it we only have 2 or 3 companies competing in each market segment in the USA. Back when I studied Economics in the 60's this was considered monopolistic or oligopoly ecomony, yet today we just let companies continue to consolidate, so they now control the marketplace. This seems to be a capitalist economy out of balance, not the free market I learned about in University.

11. The capitalist system is basically about exploitation. Exploit the worker, exploit the planet, now we have moved on to a financial system that exploits the citizens. We have about 600 Billionaires, most get their money without any physical labor. Time for those billionaires to pay for the military, it is protecting their assets overseas.

12. The future of idiocracy is NOW. Garbage mountains portrayed in the movie idiocracy now exists. I don't care anymore. The Earth is doomed. Now, where's my episode of "Ow, my balls!". I'll eat my butter flavored popcorn while I watch the end of the world on TV.

13. Good news and about time too!

14. Better late than never!

15. i hate to be negative
    but individuals changing there habits is good but not a solution
    we need massive worldwide governmental implementation in order to make real change
    ive been making incremental habit changes in my lifestyle for ten years but unless we get EVERYONE on board – the worlds fucked!
    The Paris agreement was the first big step we needed – however the largest contributor to it backed out(USA),
    this is a huge fuck up
    and no individual changing his/her habits is going to fix that!

16. These initiatives make me proud to be a European citizen and increases faith in the purpose and efficiency of the EU.

17. It’s too late

18. Yes! Finally. I mean something that lasts forever and you are going to throw it out after one use?! This gives me hope for the planet.

19. I would also ban on non recyclable packaging.

20. Too many restaurants! Let's just go back to house parties! Someone washes dishes☺

21. Yes, this problem won't ultimately be solved unless the capitalist economic system is fundamentally changed or abolished. Thanks for your insights Dr. Latham.

22. They can recycle used plastic in asphalt for roads
    The one thing they can't do is get rid of it

23. Most Americans are just non thinkers.

24. It's very half-assed because it does not address the core problem: food and beverage plastic packaging, or does son only in a very limited manner. It's a step in the right direction but a very coy step.

25. All plastics should be made from all natural materials and biodegradable…

26. Not to worry, plastic spoons and plates will be sold in third world countries telling people how disposable plastic can save water and how their housewives will have free times because they do not need to spend so much time washing dishes and can pursue other activities like texting their friends and spend leisure time on Facebook.

27. This is awesome!

28. Thank you for covering this issue!

29. The best news I have ever heard today! I hope the Americas, Asia, and Africa will follow suit soon. Let us leave clean, green, and non-toxic environment for incoming generations.

30. America needs to do this ASAP!

31. That's very good news! I tried to buy a jar of Mayonnaise the other day and the only ones available were in plastic.

32. We used to have glass bottles and recycled … it was fun and you got some money back it was kinda like a wee piggy bank!!

33. USE BLEEDIN HEMP PLASTIC THAT DISSOLVES BY ITSELF PLEASE !!!! IT IS ALL POSSIBLE !!!

34. I filter my water and put it in my own glass containers. Now I am giving up salt ugh.

35. wow!!!

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