A walk along an urban high street before the rubbish collectors arrive is to confront society’s love of packaging. From street bins overflowing with paper cups and pizza boxes to cardboard stacked up by shops for recycling, the message is that packaging is here to stay.

In response, governments have been redoubling their efforts to rein in packaging waste, by adopting rules that will force producers to roll out more recycled and biodegradable products.

In November 2022, the EU proposed new rules for plastic bags, coffee cups and improved recycling, generally. The proposal calls for all plastic packaging to be recyclable or reusable by 2030. Aluminium, glass, cardboard and other materials face recycling quotas, too. The EU also defined what constituted compostable packaging and set targets for compostable coffee and tea bags.