While there are Union legal acts concerning the prevention of waste, pollution, marine litter and chemicals, there are no specific Union rules preventing plastic pellet losses as a source of microplastic pollution along the entire supply chain. Directive 2008/98/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council lays down basic waste management principles and imposes general obligations on Member States to take measures to prevent waste generation. Those general obligations should be complemented by addressing specific aspects and requirements for the careful handling of plastic pellets in order to avoid them becoming waste.
Text as published in the Official Journal, reproduced verbatim (including any typographical quirks of the source). For the authentic version, see EUR-Lex.
