No More Tiny Toiletry Sets at European Hotels Due to Union’s Efforts to Reduce Plastic Waste

Instead, hotels now have to use larger reusable bottles or guests will have to bring these products with them, AtoZSerwisPlus.com reports.

The measure follows concerning reports as each European country is producing almost 180 kilograms of plastic waste on an annual basis. The report of the European Commission points out that packaging is one of the main uses of plastic materials as 40 per cent of plastic and 50 per cent of paper used across the EU goes for packaging.

The EU is expected to see further increases if no action is taken. More specifically, a 19 per cent increase in packaging waste will occur by 2023 and plastic packaging will have a 46 per cent increase in waste.

The new changes aim at stopping the increase in wastage, as well as encouraging consumers to opt for reusable packaging and reducing overpacking.

The move is part of the European Green Deal’s Circular Economy Action Plan, which intends to make sustainable products accessible and the norm, as well as make packaging recyclable in the next eight years.

In a bid to encourage the reuse of packaging, service providers in different industries plan to offer a certain amount of their products in reusable alternatives, such as means, e-commerce deliveries or takeaway drinks.

On the other hand, single-use packaging for beverages and food as well as single-use packaging for fruits and vegetables will be banned, in addition to miniature shampoo bottles and another packaging in hotels.

“For the industry, they will create new business opportunities, especially for smaller companies, decrease the need for virgin materials, boosting Europe’s recycling capacity as well as making Europe less dependent on primary resources and external suppliers. They will put the packaging sector on track for climate neutrality by 2050,” the report highlights.

The proposal is soon to be discussed by the European Parliament and the Council before being determined if it will be implemented, as per their legislative procedure.

The Council and the European Parliament are set to reach an agreement on the amendment of the EU emissions to apply to the aviation sector. The Council noted that the agreement aimed at aviation contributes to the emission reduction goals of the EU under the Paris Agreement, and the same stressed that under this agreement, the emissions trading system will apply for internal flights in Europe.

Moreover, the Council revealed that together with the Parliament have decided to allocate nearly 20 million free allowances to increase the uptake of fuels.