We have all seen the photos - piles of plastic waste adrift at sea. A daily tide of plastic and other detritus washed up on our beaches. Scenes of turtles and fish tangled in discarded fishing nets. Yet all of it is preventable.
The EU is tackling the 10 single-use plastic items most commonly found on Europe’s beaches and is promoting sustainable alternatives. While for many Europeans, lids and caps attached to bottles have come to symbolise this effort, there’s a bigger story to it. Here is why.
32 million tonnes of plastic waste per year in Europe
Almost 32 million tonnes of plastic waste are generated every year in Europe. In Western Europe, the average annual plastic consumption is around 150kg per person — more than twice the global average of 60kg.
Global consumption of plastic is accelerating. Over half of the plastic ever manufactured has been produced since 2000, and we are set to double our current global annual production by 2050.
It is estimated that only 9% of the plastics ever produced have been recycled, and 12% have been incinerated. The remainder is either still in use or has either been disposed of in landfills or released into the environment, including the oceans.
80% of marine litter is plastic
Marine litter refers to any human-made items that end up in the coastal or marine environment. The major cause is poor waste management and littering on land, although maritime activities also contribute to the problem.
According to UNEP, plastics represent approximately 80% of marine litter. As plastic waste continues to increase, waste management systems face increasing pressure. While most plastic waste is either recycled, incinerated or properly disposed of, some of this waste is mismanaged and ends up in our seas.
Single-use plastics are a major source of this marine litter.
Plastic caps in Top 10 single-use plastics on beaches
Plastic caps and lids are found 2-3 times more often than bottles in nature, meaning people tend to recycle the bottles without the caps.
They are among the 10 most common single-use plastic items found on European beaches, along with items like straws and stirrers, balloons and sticks for balloons, food containers, cups for beverages, cigarette butts or plastic bags.
Attaching the lid to the bottle increases its chances of being recycled with the bottle, helping us reduce plastic pollution and preventing caps from being swallowed by animals, damaging their health and ours.
Since July 2024, in the EU, beverage containers must have caps and lids attached.
A plastic bottle will live more than 6 times longer than you
Plastic bottles take a very long time to decompose, ranging from 450 to 1000 years in landfills. Even then, they don't truly disappear - they break down into smaller and smaller pieces, eventually becoming microplastics. This is a major environmental concern, as it contributes to plastic pollution in landfills and oceans.
That is why the EU introduced the Single-use Plastics Directive (SUPD), which includes a 77% separate collection target for plastic bottles by 2025 (increasing to 90% by 2029). Additionally, Additionally, PET beverage bottles need to incorporate 25% recycled plastic from 2025 on. That number will increase to 30% and will apply to all plastic beverage bottles from 2030.
The SUPD formally entered into force on 2 July 2019. Some of its key provisions, such as banning some SUP items for which sustainable alternatives are easily available and affordable, started applying from 3 July 2021.
40 % less single-use plastics on EU coastlines
On EU coastlines, single-use plastic was reduced by 40 % between 2015 and 2021. Fisheries-related items decreased by 20% and plastic bags were down by 20%. This achievement is the result of multilateral, national, regional, and citizen efforts triggered by the Marine Strategy Framework Directive.
The newly published EU Coastline Macro Litter Trend report found that the amount of marine macro litter (items bigger than 2.5 cm) in the EU coastline has dropped by 29 % between the baseline period (2015-2016) and the assessment period (2020-2021).
While the largest reduction in terms of percentages is seen at the Baltic Sea (45%), major efforts at the Mediterranean and the Black Sea have led to impressive reductions in absolute numbers of litter items on the beaches.
More on the EU Single-Use Plastics Directive (SUPD)
Producers of single-use plastics are now accountable for cleanup litter costs and awareness campaigns as the SUPD established extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes. The SUPD also includes setting a mandatory label for single-use plastic products across the EU to improve consumer transparency and support informed choices.
In addition, it sets mandatory collection and recycled content targets for single-use beverage bottles to create a natural market demand for recycling.
The first report on how Member States are implementing the SUPD, based on 2022 data, will be published by the end of the year.
The Commission will evaluate the SUPD by 3 July 2027, using available data and evidence to determine if its objectives and measures have been effectively implemented across Member States.
Other EU initiatives to combat plastic pollution
In 2023, the Commission adopted measures that restrict microplastics intentionally added to products under the EU chemical legislation REACH. It also proposed new rules to prevent plastic pellet losses in the environment.
These actions will directly contribute to reaching the 30% reduction target for microplastic releases set out in the Zero Pollution Action Plan.
Global action
Plastic pollution is a global crisis. No country can fix it on its own. The forthcoming negotiations in Geneva on a global plastics treaty from 5 to 14 August are a chance for the world to agree on a binding treaty to transform how plastics are made, used, and disposed of.
The EU is ready to lead, engage, and build bridges to land an ambitious outcome in Geneva that would tackle pollution from the production phase to final disposal.
More information
Single-use plastics | Commission page
Directive - 2019/904 - EN - SUP Directive | EUR-Lex
EEA Single-use Plastics data | EEA
Brochure on EU action against microplastic pollution | Commission page
Marine litter on the EU coastline down by almost one-third | JRC Commission page
Details
- Publication date
- 1 July 2025
- Author
- Directorate-General for Environment
