France is saying goodbye to plastic dishes, cups and utensils as a new law that will be fully implemented in 2020 bans the use of disposable dishes unless they are made from biologically sourced materials and are compostable.
The measure, which sets France as the first country in the world to ban the use of plastic dishware, was passed in August this year but businesses are given until 2020 to comply.
France has also banned plastic bags in July earlier this year and while other countries have made this move as well, France is the first country to extend the plastic ban to dishes and cutlery.
The initiative is part of the French environmental initiative Energy Transition for Green Growth, which aims to tackle climate change. Moves against the use of disposable plastic products have been gaining momentum worldwide over environmental issues.
Many of the plastic wastes end up in the ocean, where these are broken down into tiny fragments that can impact marine life. Plastic debris can survive for many years in the ocean and the plastic fragments can get into the food chain as birds and fishes eat the debris that float in the sea.
A 2015 study has shown that in 2010, countries dumped about 8 million tons of plastic in the ocean. This amount could increase by 10 times in the next decade if countries fail to find a feasible way to collect and manage garbage.
France's new initiative may help address such concerns but it is also met with opposition. Organizations that represent packaging manufacturers are fighting the ban, saying it violates the commerce rules of the European Union.
Eamonn Bates, secretary general of Brussels-based Pack2Go Europe that represents European packaging manufacturers, called for the European Commission to take legal action against France.
He said that there is no proof that biologically sourced materials are more environmentally beneficial and that the ban could even worsen the litter problem because people would think that the packaging that they leave in the countryside would be biodegradable.
"We are urging the European Commission to do the right thing and to take legal action against France for infringing European law," Bates said.
Besides France, some municipalities in the United States, which include New York City, San Jose and Hawaii, also banned or regulated the use of plastic bags.
Some companies have already started producing alternatives to plasticware. These products are derived from processed plant starch, bioplastics and old paper.
