EU parliament backs ban, limits on single-use plastics

The European Parliament has overwhelmingly backed a wide-ranging ban on single-use plastics to counter pollution in seas, fields and waterways.

The ban would affect a range of products for which valid alternatives are available—from plastic straws to earbuds and plates—as of 2021 and would make sure that plastic bottles are 90 percent recycled by 2025.

Under the plan, fishing nets, which are now a key pollutant in the EU's Mediterranean sea and Atlantic ocean, will have to be produced differently, too.

The parliament backed the proposals with a 571-53 majority. With the vote, the parliament, the EU Commission and the member states will now enter negotiations in the weeks to come to make it binding legislation.