Four years after Germany phased out lightweight plastic bags, how has the EU dealt with the problem of plastic waste? And why do disposable items still accumulate in restaurants, stores and the environment?
Single-use plastic is like that toxic ex-boyfriend that keeps coming back. Straws, cutlery and Styrofoam boxes still appear on the counters of restaurants, cafes and commercial establishments throughout Europe, despite being blocked and officially banned by the EU in 2021.
The block targeted several items after discovering that 85% of the trash found on its beaches was plastic — almost half of which were disposable itemssuch as straws, takeaway food packaging, cutlery and plates.
To tackle this growing problem of discarded plastic, which can release harmful chemicals and tiny particles that enter the environment and the human body — potentially increasing the risk of serious health problems including cancer and infertility — the EU has decided to act.
The logic was simple. It was enough to ban the salethe production and import of the worst products and the problem would disappear.
But the reality is quite different. Around 70% of takeaway restaurants surveyed in the German capital, Berlin, still offer prohibited plastic itemsaccording to tests carried out by the NGO Environmental Action Germany (DUH) in 2024.
A continent-wide report by five NGOs from the same year found that banned items are still widely available in most European countries.
They are produced annually more than 400 million tons plastic metrics — about 50 kilograms per person. With production still growing and global regulations largely ineffective, researchers warn that the problem will continue to worsen.
Plastic, plastic everywhere
One theory attributes the persistence of single-use plastics after the EU ban to stocks left over from the COVID pandemic. Particularly at the height of the 2020 confinements, takeout food orders they soared when restaurants closed or people avoided eating out.
But experts, such as Britta Schautz from the Berlin consumer protection organization, say the chronology doesn’t fit perfectly.
“The ban came into force in 2021“, said Schautz, who has spent a decade helping consumers reduce their plastic use.
It’s unlikely that most restaurants can store mountains of containers for that long, Schautz told DW, adding that the plastic becomes porous over time and has a limit to how long you can safely store food and drinks.
She said that the lack of adherence on the part of retailers and food companies is the most likely reason.
Many small business owners who have swapped plastic containers for paper or aluminum options report higher costs. “It’s a disaster,” one restaurant owner told DW. “We can’t find the right paper plates and it’s expensive.” Another confirmed the difficulties, adding that distributing plastic straws had sentimental value for him.
But, in theory, this sentimentality could cost you dearly, as it could be fined up to 100,000 euros in Germany for not complying with the new rules.
The lack of enforcement of the rules is another problem. When DW contacted authorities in five of Germany’s largest cities to ask how they monitor compliance with the law and punish violators, none of them were able to mention an example of a fine. The majority said they only act upon complaints or, at most, carry out random checks.
Consistently impose fines and communicating the ban more effectively would be a better deterrent, said Thomas Fischer, head of the circular economy department at Environmental Action Germany, who likened the effect to evading paying for public transport tickets. If people felt that infractions were punishable, they wouldn’t commit them, he told DW.
Other countries have adopted more stringent measures. Kenya banned plastic bags in 2017, with fines of up to 4 million Kenyan shillings — approximately 26 thousand euros — or up to four years in prison. And unlike Germany, this is not just an empty threat. Two years after implementing the ban, authorities had already recorded hundreds of arrests and prosecutions. Three Kenyan fruit sellers have been arrested for using banned plastic bags.
Ways to get around the plastic ban
O e-commerce is one of the law’s blind spots. Plastic straws and cutlery are widely available on major retail platforms such as Temu, eBay and Fruugo.
“It is very easy to order banned plastics from countries outside the EU,” said Schautz. “And manufacturers in these countries do not have to comply with EU legislation in producing these articles.”
But even in the EU, manufacturers exploit loopholes in the law. Some get around the restrictions by producing slightly thicker disposable cutlery and labeling them as “reusable.”
“Reusable does not mean reused“, said Nathalie Gontard of the French National Institute for Agricultural, Food and Environmental Research, adding that the EU ban has increased consumption in some cases.
“The law can be easily circumvented just by increasing the thickness,” said the plastics researcher. Gontard also recalled companies that contacted her during the drafting of the EU bans seeking advice. Some time later, “they came back to me and said, ‘Sorry, but we no longer need help. Let’s just increase the thickness.’”.
A patchwork of plastics legislation
Across the world, at least 90 countries have introduced some form of plastics ban. But the rules vary a lot, targeting different regions and items. Experts say this fragmented system does little to reduce waste.
In Germany, only plastic bags with a thickness between 15 and 50 micrometers are prohibited. However, 87% of bags distributed in 2022 fell into this category, which highlights the confusion surrounding the law.
Even in Kenya, where the plastic bag ban is considered relatively successful and observers confirm cleaner streets in big cities like Nairobi, progress has been slow. Plastic bags now enter Kenya from neighboring countries without bans.
A 2025 study from the US — where some states go as far as banning any plastics legislation — found that large-scale or country-wide bans are the most effective.
“The idea that we will be able to solve the problem country by country is no longer the solution” said Ximena Banegas of the Center for International Environmental Law. “We are all playing ‘whack-a-mole’ by banning a product here while it continues to be produced elsewhere.”
In addition to defending global bans, Banegas also advocates limitation of plastic productiona proposal discussed in the UN plastics treaty negotiations, most recently in August 2025.
A coalition led by oil-producing countries Iran, Saudi Arabia, China and Russia wanted the legislation to be maintained at national level, with a focus on waste management. But a group led by Norway, Rwanda, Canada and 72 other countries pushed for broader bans and a production limit. The positions were too far apart for the UN to reach a consensus. About 98% of all plastic is made from fossil fuels.
Nathalie Gontard said that stricter policies should have already been implemented. “We need to start right now“, he told DW. “Even if we ask for a 10% reduction in plastic consumption in the next decade, it will already be a victory.”
