Europe charged with plastic bag death

The European Commission is considering banning the use of plastic bags or imposing taxes on people who use them to reduce the level of environmental pollution.

'50 years ago nobody knew what plastic bags were, but now we use them dozens of times a day and they pollute the environment for several decades. The view of society for plastic bags is changing and a part of public opinion wants to use plastic bag to change ', AFP quoted Janez Potocnik, Environment Commissioner of the European Union (EU).

Each European uses an average of 500 plastic bags per year. Photo: 2ndgreenrevolution.com.

According to the European Commission , the continent produced 3.4 million tons of plastic bags in 2008, equivalent to the masses of two million cars. Each European citizen uses 500 plastic bags per year.

The final destination of plastic bags is usually the sea. Today about 250 billion plastic bags are floating in the Mediterranean Sea and they only decompose after a few hundred years. In addition, marine animals may lose their lives if they swallow plastic bags, AFP reported.

Some EU countries have banned the use of plastic bags in stores and supermarkets. If people want to use them, they have to pay taxes. However, the EU has not issued any regulations on plastic bags for the whole block.

Yesterday the European Commission launched a program to consult people about the roadmap to reduce the number of plastic bags in society. The program will last until August.