Youths and children can be the actors supporting a collective effort to reduce single-use plastic, Labour MEP Miriam Dalli said, while adding that youths and children have a strong will supporting the use of sustainable alternatives that do not pollute our seas and countryside.

The Maltese MEP, environment coordinator for the Socialists and Democrats Group in the European Parliament, insisted that youths already play an important role in voicing environmental issues and can be the actors encouraging change.

"There is a keen interest from youths and children to learn more about how they can save their planet. I see this at every meeting held and activity I attend to. In meetings at schools and other places, students ask how they can do their part in helping to clean up the environment and reduce plastic use," Miriam Dalli said.

Whilst European lawmakers have reached an agreement on a ban of single-use plastic products, change can happen quicker with the involvement of citizens and through awareness-raising on the harmful effects of single-use plastic, its disposal and the leakage of microplastics into our seas, she said.

"Whilst it may be possible to remove larger plastic particles from our seas, microplastics are impossible to get rid of. When eating fish and seafood, human beings become susceptible to ingesting microplastics as well," Dalli said.

In the EP's environment committee, Miriam Dalli worked on legislative amendments that in particular target plastic that ends up in the seas. Plastic makes up 80-85% of the total marine litter. 43% of waste found on European beaches consists of 10 single-use plastic items. The factors that contributed to the current situation are many including the widespread use of plastics and the consumption trend dictated by comfort.

Dalli welcomed the government's proposed scheme to start returning plastic bottles and containers and applauded those outlets that have already started swapping plastic products with sustainable alternatives.

"Not all plastic is bad but a lot of that plastic can be replaced. With extra effort, tackling the large generation of plastic waste will become easier as producers and consumers switch to alternative products," Miriam Dalli said.

"We are not saying that all plastic is bad and there is plastic that can be used more than once. With extra effort, we can tackle the large generation of plastic waste as more producers and consumers switch to alternative products."