France has become the first country in the world to ban disposable, plastic cups and dishes.
The new law, which passed last month, requires all single-use cups, plates and other dishware sold in the country to be compostable and made at least partly of bio-sourced materials. Businesses have been given until Jan. 1, 2020 to comply.
A ban on plastic bags has been in place since July.
The decision to do this was made based on environmental considerations—France currently throws away more than 4.7 billion plastic cups every year. But it will also reduce exposure to toxic chemicals in plasticware as well.
Manufacturers, of course, are opposing the law, asserting that lower-income families regularly use disposable tableware because they can’t afford reusable tableware. I can’t agree with that argument. I once was living in a rented apartment by myself and I had one fork, one spoon, one knife, one plate, one bowl, one cup, and one glass. That’s all one person actually needs. Anyone can obtain these for practically nothing at any thrift store.
I think this is a good move, but we also need to consider the use of disposable products altogether. It is possible to have a society where everything is reusable and biodegradable. We don’t need plastic at all. Indeed, as a species we survived perfectly well without it until the twentieth century (the first plastic was bakelite, invented in New York in 1907).
ASSOCIATED PRESS: France to bid adieu to plastic dishes with controversial ban
