Legislation Update

The most important piece of legislation for hospitality and catering to be aware of at present is the EU Single Use Plastics Directive. This forward-thinking legislation forms part of the European Union’s Strategy on Plastics and their goal is to make all plastics either recyclable or reusable by 2030.

If we fail to act, there will be more plastic than marine life in our oceans by 2050. This piece of legislation aims to help significantly reduce the amount of plastics ending up in our oceans across Europe by targeting small, lightweight single use items that often blow out of bins and into drains and end up in the sea.

From July 2021 in the Republic of Ireland, there will be a ban on certain single use plastic (SUP) catering disposables, including:

• SUP cutlery and stirrers (including CPLA);
• SUP straws (including PLA);
• SUP balloon sticks
• SUP cotton bud sticks
• SUP plates

From July 2021, the following materials will also be banned:

• Containers and cups made from expandable polystyrene
• Soft plastic bags made from oxo-degradable plastics

This legislation will come into effect in Northern Ireland early 2022.