EU countries back stricter rules to curb microplastics pollution

By AFP

EU countries on Tuesday backed plans to curb plastic pollution by toughening rules for companies using the pellets that constitute the building blocks of most plastic products.

The microscopic pellets, called nurdles, are the base material used in most of the world's plastic production, from car bumpers to salad bowls.

About the size of a lentil and made from fossil fuels, the pellets often spill into the environment, polluting beaches and oceans -- something the European Union would like to tackle.

Building on legislation proposed by the European Commission last year, the bloc's 27 countries on Tuesday agreed to introduce new rules for firms handling and transporting the stuff.

Negotiations with the European parliament to finalise the text are expected to start early next year.

"The new rules, the first of their kind in the EU, will help companies to minimise plastic pellet losses, contributing to the fight against microplastic pollution, which knows no borders or boundaries," said Aniko Raisz, Hungary's minister of state for environmental affairs.

Hungary currently holds the rotating presidency of the EU.

The proposal demands operators handling pellets in the EU take the necessary measures to limit the release of the material through mishandling.

Companies will have to conduct risk assessments and act quickly to contain leaks and undertake cleaning operations if necessary.

Sea freight firms will be subject to specific obligations, such as "ensuring good quality packaging" and "providing cargo-related technical information".

This will in turn result in the sector enjoying a three-year period to adapt to the regulation once it comes into force -- compared to the two years granted to other sectors.

Some countries had pushed for maritime transport, which accounted for about 38 percent of all pellets transported in the EU in 2022, to be excluded from the legislation, leaving it to the International Maritime Organization to set out specific rules.

According to European Commission data, up to 184,000 tonnes of pellets per year -- the equivalent of 20 truckloads each day -- are dispersed into the environment across the 27-nation bloc due to mishandling.

The EU hopes the proposal will reduce pellet release by up to 74 percent.