France becomes first country to ban plastic cups and plates

France has become the first country in the world to ban disposable plastic cups and plates.

A new French law will require all disposable tableware to be made from 50% biologically-sourced materials that can be composted at home by January of 2020. That number will rise to 60% by January of 2025.

 

The measure is an addition to France's "Energy Transition for Green Growth Act," a wide-reaching law adopted last year with the aim of mitigating the impact of climate change.

 

France hopes to become a world leader in environmental and energy solutions, catalyzed by the COP21 Climate Change conference held in Paris last December.

 

One hundred and fifty single-use cups are thrown away every second in the country -- 4.73 billion per year, according to the French Association of Health and Environment, ASEF.

 

Only 1% of them is recycled, largely because they are made of a mixture of polypropylene and polystyrene.