Every year, the average EU citizen consumes approximately 500 plastic carrier bags, and most of them are used only once. The total volume of plastic carrier bags produced in Europe in 2008 was 3.4 mln tons, which equals the weight of over 2 mln passenger cars. The low weight and small size of plastic bags means they often escape waste management and end up in the marine environment, where their eventual decay can years. As per a Europa press release, some Member States have already taken action to reduce the use of plastic carrier bags through pricing measures, agreements with the retail sector and bans on certain types of bags, but no specific measures exist at the EU level. In March 2011, EU environment ministers discussed the environmental impact of plastic carrier bags and the concerns they raised indicated that effective EU action is needed. This has led the European Commission to ask the public how best to reduce the use of plastic carrier bags. It will ask if charging and taxation would be effective, or if other options such as an EU-level ban on plastic carrier bags would be better. Opinions will also be sought on increasing the visibility of biodegradable packaging products, and boosting the biodegradability requirements for packaging. The web-based consultation runs until August 2011. The consultation also aims to gather views on the adequacy of current requirements on compostability and biodegradability in the EU Packaging Directive. The Directive does not allow for a clear distinction between biodegradable products that should biodegrade in natural conditions in the environment, and compostable products that only biodegrade in industrial composting facilities. Advertising a packaging product as biodegradable when in fact it will not biodegrade in natural conditions can be misleading, and contributes to the proliferation of litter. The consultation gathers views on the environmental, social and economic impacts that might result from measures to improve the biodegradability requirements of packaging products, including the visibility of biodegradable packaging to consumers. The issue has been sparked by Italy’s unilateral and unexpected decision to ban all single-use plastic bags with effect from 1 January, 2011. Several schemes have been formulated at a national level, aimed at reducing the amount of plastic waste in the environment, some of which were rushed through and are based on confused scientific knowledge and the wrong technical norms. In fact, this move could put in place a regulatory framework that is long-term, pan-European, realistic and sustainable. The European Commission is looking hard at a ban on plastics bags for all of Europe and using the results of a recently closed survey to justify its decision. Some plastics trade groups now claim the survey was rigged by anti-plastic lobbyists, as per Plastics today. Feedback from the survey was overwhelmingly in favor of a bag ban. The German association of plastics packaging (IK) has harshly criticized the EU commission's survey. "It was not only incompetent in content and misleading, but also has not reached the European consumer, since it has only been available in an English version. Therefore, it was mostly lobbying organizations using the survey portal for their own purposes. Because of all this, the result of the survey cannot be considered to be a reflection of the general opinion of the European consumer," was the conclusion of the association, which represents more than 300 plastics packaging processors and claims to be the largest association within the plastics industry in Europe. The German group also argues that, no matter the problems with these bags in some regions, in Germany disposal is efficient. "We don't have a littering problem with carrier bags," as per the general director of the IK. "The bags neither pollute the environment, nor do they kill animals, like it has been claimed time and again." Kelterborn and his group wager they stand good odds in any legal battle against such a ban, should it be necessary. The IK and other packaging groups across Europe make the case that there already is a law to control plastic bag trash and all other packaging refuse--the European packaging directive, which obliges all member states to adhere to corresponding collection and recycling quotas. A report published in June which analyzed official EU data on packaging showed that over the past 11 years the amount of packaging waste going to final disposal in the EU-15 member states has fallen by 43%. Higher recycling levels and other forms of packaging waste recovery are largely the reasons, according to EUROPEN, the European Organization for Packaging and the Environment (Brussels). In 2008 in the EU 27 member states just over 17 mln tons of packaging were sent for final disposal. In the 11 year period, despite an ageing population and a trend throughout Europe towards smaller households (all of which led to the purchase of a greater number of packaged goods) the amount of packaging placed on the market (excluding wood packaging) rose by only 10% and the amount of packaging waste disposed of (also excluding wood) actually fell by 43%. For the purposes of packaging waste, "disposal" generally means that the material was either put in landfill or burned without energy recovery. Wood is excluded from the GDP decoupling comparison because official reporting on packaging made from this material was optional until 2003 and since then reports from member states on wood packaging have shown inconsistencies, according to EUROPEN. The EU Directive set a 2008 recycling target of 55% to be reached by 12 member states with the remainder including the newer member states to reach the same target between 2011 and 2015. By 2008 three of the remainder had passed the 55% target and most others were approaching or already beyond a 50% recycling rate.