People be receiving fewer glittery Christmas cards this year as harmful microplastics have been banned across the European Union.

The European Commission has outlawed the sale of plastics smaller than five millimetres and that are intentionally added to products but do not dissolve or break down naturally.

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    1 year ago

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    People be receiving fewer glittery Christmas cards this year as harmful microplastics have been banned across the European Union.

    The European Commission has outlawed the sale of plastics smaller than five millimetres and that are intentionally added to products but do not dissolve or break down naturally.

    “The most important thing is to cut pollution at the source,” said Virginijus Sinkevicius, EU commissioner for the environment, oceans and fisheries, in an interview with the Guardian newspaper.

    He said the aim of the ban is to “prevent the spill of plastic pellets in our environment, for the sake of our ecosystems and health, and in support of economic sectors that depend on healthy soils and clean, plastic-free rivers and oceans.”

    Standard glitter is made from etched aluminium bonded to polyethylene terephthalate - a form of microplastic that can find its way into the oceans.

    These are tiny pellets of plastic that are transported around the world and melted down into everyday products like water bottles, clothes or even artificial plants.


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