| The world's plastic waste problem needs policing — and finally there may be a sheriff ready to bring order. Ahead of a UN meeting that aims to deliver an agreement to tackle the rubbish polluting the Earth's land and seas, the European Union is pushing for sweeping new packaging regulations across its 27-nation bloc. The rules, first proposed by the European Commission in November, would require companies selling products in EU countries to make the containers they're sold in easier to reuse and recycle.  An employee uses a fork lift to move discarded plastic bottles ready for crushing and recycling at a factory in the UK. Photographer: Si Barber/Bloomberg Takeaway food, hot and cold drinks, wine and other alcohol would have to be provided at least partly in reusable receptacles by 2030. The rules also limit unnecessary empty space in wrapping for goods. The EU's overall goal: to reduce packaging waste in 2030 by 5%, compared with 2018 levels, and 15% by 2040. The proposals put the bloc in a stronger position of authority as it seeks worldwide coordinated action at the UN's second meeting on plastic waste this spring. The rules are more comprehensive and wide-ranging than the EU's previous packaging requirements, and more likely to be effective than piecemeal bans on individual products like plastic straws. Given the number of international companies these rules will impact, there is a realistic chance that the EU's standards could become the de facto law of the land — worldwide — which would make the bloc something of a global plastics sheriff. "There is this willingness from the EU to be the green deal leader and the environmental leader globally," said Justine Maillot, coordinator of the campaign group Break Free From Plastic Europe. "If some big companies are starting to change the way they produce their packaging for the EU market, they may also do the same for other markets."  On the latest episode of Getting Warmer, Kal Penn explores some of the more drastic Plan Bs aimed at fighting global warming or protecting populations from climate extremes. Stream online from Bloomberg Originals on Apple TV, Roku, Samsung TV, Fire TV or Android TV. EU policy is already having an impact. In 2019, the bloc launched a Single Use Plastics Directive that banned polystyrene plates and cups, as well as single-use plastic plates, cutlery, straws, balloon sticks and cotton buds. It also mandated plastic-bottle caps stay attached to reduce littering. England, Scotland and Wales have since announced or implemented almost identical bans. Coca Cola's "tethered" bottle caps, a result of the regulations, were also adopted in Britain last year, despite its departure from the EU. To some degree, the EU's hand is being forced: The plastic waste that the bloc's countries do produce, and have long exported in a controversial global trade, has a shrinking pool of possible destinations as countries close their borders to waste imports. Virginijus Sinkevičius, European Commissioner for the environment, is trying to sell the plastics crackdown as a positive for European business, which can claim first-mover advantage in areas like reusability. "The moment you ship your waste away, you kill any innovation," he told Bloomberg Green in an interview.  Virginijus Sinkevicius Photographer: Thierry Monasse/Bloomberg Of course, when the next UN negotiations kick off in May, the EU's tougher packaging rules will still be an open question. The proposal has yet to clear the European Parliament and Council, and already faces opposition from the plastics, glass and paper industries. Moreover, some wonder whether these efforts are enough to take on the sheer scale of waste, which continues to grow. Reducing it by 5% would only take the bloc's waste levels back a few years, said Jean-Pierre Schweitzer, policy officer at the nonprofit European Environmental Bureau. Schweitzer also lamented that today's efforts do nothing to erase the vast piles of garbage the EU has already generated. "In the same way that in the wild west, the sheriff normally also was guilty of committing his fair share of crimes," he said, "I think this is definitely the case for the EU as well." — With assistance by John Ainger Read and share the full version of this story on the web.  A year ago, Europe was sending $1 billion a day to Russia to buy fossil fuels. Now it pays only a small fraction of that. On the latest episode of Zero, reporters Will Mathis and Akshat Rathi explain how Europe managed this feat, and what it means for the continent's climate goals. Listen now — and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Google to get new episodes every Thursday. Like getting the Green Daily? Subscribe to Bloomberg.com for unlimited access to breaking news on climate and energy, data-driven reporting and graphics and Bloomberg Green magazine. | 
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