by It seems the days of smuggling tiny toiletries out of hotels will soon be over. At least, in Europe, that is.
The European Commission is considering banning the use of miniature bottles of shampoo, body lotion and shower gel under new packaging and waste rules across the European Union.
This means that hotels in Europe may soon be unable to provide their guests with these types of toiletries. Instead, hotels now have to provide you with a larger bottle that can be reused, or guests will need to bring their own toiletries.
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The new ban comes as Europe aims to reduce the waste its citizens produce each year, with each European currently producing nearly 180 kilograms of packaging waste each year.
”Packaging is one of the biggest users of virgin materials as 40% of plastic and 50% of paper used in the EU goes to packaging”, a report from the European Commission on prohibition states.
“Without action, the EU would see a further 19% increase in packaging waste by 2030, and for plastic packaging waste as much as 46%.”
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According to the report, new packaging and waste rules aim to halt the increase in waste, by directing consumers towards reusable packaging options and by removing unnecessary packages.
The rules also aim to limit overpacking and ensure that clear labels are placed on every product to support proper recycling procedures.
“For industry, they will create new business opportunities, especially for smaller companies, reduce the need for virgin materials, increase Europe’s recycling capacity and make Europe less dependent on primary resources and external suppliers.” states the report.
“They will put the packaging sector on track for climate neutrality by 2050.”
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It’s a move that forms part of the European Green Deal’s wider Circular Economy Action Plan, which aims, by design, to make sustainable products the norm and all packaging recyclable by 2030.
To encourage reuse of packaging, companies will need to offer consumers a certain amount of their products in reusable packaging, such as takeaway drinks, e-commerce meals or deliveries, or larger bottles of soap in hotels.
Certain forms of unnecessary packaging will be banned under the proposal, including single-use packaging for food and beverages consumed in restaurants, as well as single-use packaging for fruit and vegetables.
Miniature shampoo bottles and other miniature packaging in hotels have also been deemed useless.
The proposal will soon be examined by the European Parliament and the Council before being implemented if approved, according to their legislative procedure.
It does not extend to the UK, as they are no longer in the European Union.
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