I happen to agree with Germany on this one.
BERLIN — Germany is banning the sale of single-use plastic straws, cotton buds and food containers, bringing it in line with a European Union directive intended to reduce the amount of plastic garbage that pollutes the environment.
The Cabinet agreed Wednesday to end the sale of plastics including single-use cutlery, plates, stirring sticks and balloon holders, as well as polystyrene cups and boxes by July 3, 2021.
Environment Minister Svenja Schulze said the move was part of an effort to move away from “throw-away culture.” Up to 20% of garbage collected in parks and other public places consists of single-use plastic, mainly polystyrene containers.
I’m not sure if it the fact that I am getting older but this kind of thing makes sense to me. We’ve become extremely lazy as a culture and by doing so, we are ruining the planet. Instead of simply washing your utencils, we buy plastic forks and knives and then throw them into the Earth.
I bought a camping tool that acts like fork, spoon, and knife along with a few other uses and I try to use it when I can. I can always do better and I like that Germany is taking this type of thing seriously.
I don’t think the US will be that strict about this type of thing for a long time to come.
