After plastic bags, we are the first country to ban plastic cotton buds from 2019. And from 2020, all cosmetics containing microplastics will be banned too.
Italy will be the first country in the world to ban the production and sale of plastic cotton buds, i.e. non-biodegradable ones, from 1 January 2019, and then, from 2020, also of cosmetics containing microplastics. The measure enabling this major and innovative step forward in the fight against marine litter — the waste emergency that is now severely affecting seas and oceans in many parts of the world — is an amendment presented by MP and Symbola founder Ermete Realacci to the budget law, which was approved by the Budget Committee of the Chamber of Deputies. In a year's time, therefore, only swabs made from biodegradable and compostable materials will be permitted, and their packaging will be required to display clear information on the correct disposal of the buds, explicitly stating the prohibition on flushing them down toilets and drains.
Read also: Cosa significa littering, una parola inglese per spiegare un malcostume molto italiano
For Realacci, this represents "an important step forward in the defence of the environment, the sea and citizens' health. An incentive for our businesses to be more innovative and competitive in the field of sustainability and quality. Non-biodegradable cotton buds are, in fact, highly polluting, and according to a recent survey carried out by Legambiente on 46 Italian beaches, 91 per cent of the waste found consisted of cotton buds."
Legambiente itself points out that the cotton buds currently on the market are not retained by sewage treatment systems and end up directly in the sea, and that their ban is therefore "good news for the environment. The majority of floating or submerged waste is made up of plastic, which never dissolves but breaks down into tiny fragments that cause enormous damage to biodiversity, the environment, health and the economy."
The same amendment also introduces a ban on the sale of cosmetics containing microplastics, in order to prevent them from ending up in the sea. According to the United Nations, eight million tonnes of plastic enter the world's waters every year.
The amendment had been agreed upon by Realacci with the Ministry of the Environment. According to Minister Gian Luca Galletti, "Italy is sending an extraordinary signal to Europe against the invasion of plastics and microplastics in our seas, positioning itself at the very forefront and responding with concrete action to an alarming phenomenon that is harming biodiversity and the quality of our waters." Naturally, where the law does not reach, the culture and awareness of individuals can and must step in: for this reason, while awaiting 2019, the ministry committed from the new year to launching an information campaign in the meantime to prevent cotton buds from being dispersed into the water.
