France has passed a controversial ban on single use plastic cups, knives forks and plates. The plastic ban law was hidden away in the “transition to green energy” bill that was passed in summer 2015.
However it won’t come into effect until 2020 so anyone who picnics regularly has plenty of time to adjust.
It’s not designed just to make life more complicated but to limit harm to the environment.
And the ban also applies to the cups distributed in water and coffee machines, so workers should make sure they have their own mug in future.
By 2020 producers of disposal plates, cups and cutlery must make sure they are made of biologically sourced materials and can be composted.
Every year some 4.73 billion plastic cups are thrown away in France, with only a paltry one percent being recycled.
As well as the impact on the environment there are also concerns that the plastic cups when used to serve hot drinks can have a negative impact on health.
