The European Commission has proposed new EU-wide rules aimed at tackling plastic and other packaging waste.

Measures range from the banning of certain forms of packaging to the introduction of mandatory deposit return systems.

The proposals include the requirement that EU members reduce packaging waste per capita by 15% by 2040, compared with 2018 levels. According to the Commission, Europeans on average generate almost 180kg of packaging waste per year.

Without the proposed revision of the EU legislation on Packaging and Packaging Waste, annual greenhouse gas emissions from packaging are expected to reach 66 million tonnes by 2030. If the measures are introduced, this figure would be 43 million tonnes, according to the Commission.

The proposals, which will need approval from the European Parliament and member states, include measures aimed at making all packaging on the EU market recyclable “in an economically viable way” by 2030. There will also be mandatory rates of recycled content for new plastic containers. 

Items deemed to be “clearly unnecessary” – such as single-use packaging for food and beverages consumed inside restaurants and cafés and the miniature shampoo bottles found in hotels – face being banned outright.

EU members will also be required to have deposit return systems in place for plastic bottles and aluminium cans.

The new rules include an emphasis on reuse. For example, cafés and restaurants offering takeaway drinks and meals would have to serve a certain percentage of their products in reusable or refillable packaging.