EU can afford to be tough on plastic straws

Europe wants to lead the way on rooting out the use of throwaway plastic items, two of the European Commission's top members announced on Monday (28 May).

"We are at risk of choking our oceans in plastic with a knock-on effect on our food chain and human health," said Frans Timmermans, second-in-command in the commission.

He referred to recently released documentaries which showed the harm that single-use plastic wreaks on the environment, and said the commission's plan for