Straws, cotton swabs, disposable cutlery. Consumers in Germany and in the EU member states are bidding farewell to single-use plastic products. On the effective date of July 3, 2021, an EU directive banning plastic tableware came into force. The directive originates from 2019. Products like disposable cutlery and plates, drinking straws, stirrers, cotton buds, and balloon sticks made of plastic, as well as to-go containers and beverage cups made of Styrofoam, are no longer allowed to enter the market.
Disposable plates, cups, or cutlery made from bio-based or biodegradable plastics are also prohibited. The same applies to disposable tableware made of cardboard, which may contain only a small amount of plastic or be coated with plastic, but still contains plastic. Traders are thus obliged to resort to reusable alternatives made of glass or metal. Stockpiles may still be sold off, so the products won’t disappear from the landscape immediately.
A world without plastic, perhaps not so utopian?! In any case, this is a beginning that we very much welcome!

How your life can succeed with ease without plastics and more tips can be found in our series: “Greetings from Utopia: A World without Plastic.” Here we describe in 3 parts what is possible to avoid plastic waste. The hörbert team is constantly working on using as few plastics as possible in the production of hörbert. New – in the anniversary edition, we replaced the recyclable plastic buttons with buttons made of wood. Information about this can be found HERE.
Read the blog post on the topic “World without Plastics”:
Part 1 – Topic World: Recycling
Part 2 – Topic World: Beverages
Do you have tips for our readers for a life as plastic-free as possible? We look forward to your comment or entry in our Guestbook!