The European Commission has proposed banning the use of miniature toiletries in Europe’s hotels as part of new rules to reduce plastic waste.
Instead, hotels must use large reusable bottles of shampoos, body lotions, and shower gels, otherwise, guests will have to bring these products with them, according to SchengenVisaInfo.com.
According to the calculations of the European Commission, each European country annually produces almost 180 kilograms of plastic waste. Packaging is one of the main uses of plastic materials, as 40% of plastic and 50% of paper used in the EU are used for these purposes.
European officials state that an even greater amount of such waste awaits Europe if no measures are taken. In particular, according to forecasts, by 2023, the amount of packaging waste will increase by 19%, and the amount of plastic packaging waste will increase by 46%.
The new changes are aimed at stopping the growth of waste, as well as encouraging consumers to use reusable packaging and reduce excessive packaging.
The move is part of the European Green Deal’s Circular Economy Action Plan, which aims to make green products the norm and packaging recyclable over the next eight years. To encourage the reuse of packaging, service providers in various industries plan to offer a number of their products in the form of reusable alternatives, such as hygiene products, e-commerce delivery, or take-out.
Single-use packaging for drinks and food, for fruit and vegetables, as well as miniature shampoo bottles and other packaging in hotels, will also be banned.
According to the plans of the European Commission, by 2050 the packaging sector should be on the path of “climate neutrality”.
Now, this proposal must be approved at the level of the European Parliament and the European Council.