The EU agreement was passed with a large majority in 2019, and it will come into force as of July 3, 2021 in Germany. The reasoning is that plastic accounts for about 85% of trash in the oceans. From plastic bags to fast food packaging, plates and individual straws, this waste adds up to about eight million tons of plastic trash each year. This hurts all sea creatures and humans as well, as we end up consuming plastic through eating fish, algae and shellfish. The EU plastic ban was created to protect the environment and reduce the stress on the oceans – and rightly so!