EU agrees to ban throw-away plastics to limit ocean pollution

FILE PHOTO: Tourists and local residents disembark a boat coming from nearby Nusa Penida island as plastic trash pollutes the beach in Sanur, Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia April 10, 2018. REUTERS/Johannes P. Christo/File Photo

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Throw-away plastic items such as straws and polystyrene cups will be banned in the European Union by 2021, EU officials agreed on Wednesday, as they passed measures to cut plastic use in a bid to reduce marine litter.

Negotiators from the European Parliament and for the 28 EU countries agreed a list of 10 single-use plastic products with readily available alternatives that will be banned.