The Environment Committee of the European Parliament (EP) plans to adopt a draft report on the EU Commission’s Green Paper on plastic waste in the environment on 5 November. Its members have tabled 171 amendments to the draft drawn up by rapporteur Vittorio Prodi.
Mr Prodi himself proposes several amendments, including a correction of his proposal to phase out “single-use, non-biodegradable and non-compostable plastic products” by the year 2020. This phase-out should only apply to plastic bags, according to Mr Prodi’s amendment. Mr Prodi’s original draft was met with surprise by the plastics and recycling industry, as the phase-out would have covered 99 per cent of Europe’s plastic production.
Following the vote in the Committee, the draft report will be submitted to the EP plenary for final adoption. The plenary vote is scheduled in mid-December at present.