No such thing as free waste

Germany has come out in support of the EU Commission’s plan to make the tobacco industry cover the costs of cigarette waste, according to a Xinhua Newswire story quoting the Funke media group.
The Environment Minister Svenja Schulze was quoted as saying that those who produced disposable items, such as cigarettes, would have to take more responsibility for the waste that was generated. The tobacco industry could be involved, for example, in contributing to the costs of cleaning up beaches and parks.
In May, the Commission called on the tobacco industry to shoulder part of the clean-up costs of single-use plastic in cigarette filters.
Schulze said an EU-wide ban on unnecessary disposable plastic would be introduced before the end of this year.
It was necessary to resort to more drastic measures than have been in place in the past in order to stop the pollution of the seas and the environment.
The Commission, the EU Parliament and the Council of Ministers are due to discuss a new directive on single-use plastics.