The EU Single-Use Plastics Directive: what it banned and what it did not

Items banned

• Straws
• Cutlery and chopsticks
• Plates
• Beverage stirrers
• Cotton bud sticks
• Balloon sticks
• Expanded polystyrene food containers and cups

Restricted rather than banned

The directive does not ban everything it touches. Some items carry consumption reduction targets, some carry marking obligations and some fall under extended producer responsibility. Wet wipes and cups containing plastic sit in this second group — not banned, but subject to obligations.

The definition of plastic is the crux

Plastic is defined by how the polymer behaves. PLA made from corn starch therefore counts as plastic and falls inside the ban. The assumption that plant origin grants exemption finds no support in the text.

What falls outside

Materials made from natural polymers that have not been chemically modified are outside the definition. Untreated wood, bamboo and uncoated paper are therefore not caught — which is the real reason single-use tableware moved toward wood and bamboo.

Member states may go further

The directive is a floor. The Netherlands added in-venue bans, Spain introduced a tax, Italy wrote its own exemption. There is no single 'EU rule' to quote; each country of sale has to be read on its own.