The European Commission recently proposed that the tobacco industry pay for a portion of the clean-up costs caused by single-use plastic, which is a biproduct of cigarette filters found on beaches and in parks. The European Parliament and the Council of Minister were said to meet on 18 December in Brussels to discuss the new regulations on single-use plastics, according to the report.
Svenja Schulze, Environment Minister, was quoted as saying, “Those who produce disposable items, such as cigarettes, will have to take more responsibility for the garbage in the future.
“We will introduce a Europe-wide ban on unnecessary disposable plastic before the end of this year," Schulze added.
The Commission said that proposed new directive on single-use plastic would have “environmental and economic benefits.” According to Xinhaunet, the benefits of this directive include preventing the release of 3.4 million tons of carbon dioxide and 22 billion EUR (25.1 billion USD) worth of environmental costs by 2030.