Circular Economy
Single-Use Plastics (SUPs)
Plastic items used once then discarded — bags, straws, cutlery, packaging — the prime target of plastic pollution regulation.
Definition
Single-use plastics are plastic products designed to be used once, or for a short time, before being discarded: carrier bags, straws, cutlery, plates, cups, food containers, sachets and much packaging. Because they combine high leakage probability with short use-life and fossil feedstock, they are the priority target of plastic regulation — the EU Single-Use Plastics Directive (2019/904) bans several items and imposes design, labelling and producer-responsibility requirements on others.
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