Cotton buds made of plastic or of any non-biodegradable and non-compostable material.

Exfoliating rinse-off cosmetic products or detergents containing microplastics.

Draft technical regulation banning the marketing of non-biodegradable and non-compostable cotton buds and exfoliating rinse-off cosmetic products or detergents containing microplastics.’

The draft technical regulation that will be included in the 2018 European legislation introduces:

- a ban on the production and marketing on national territory of cotton buds made of plastic or of any non-biodegradable and non-compostable material, pursuant to Standard UNI EN 13432 (Article 180, paragraph 1h of Legislative Decree No 152 of 2006);

- a ban on the marketing of exfoliating rinse-off cosmetic products or detergents containing microplastics. This ban will apply from 1 January 2020 (Article 180, paragraph 1i of Legislative Decree No 152 of 2006).

The regulations in question are adopted and certain amendments made to Article 180 of Legislative Decree No 152 of 3 April 2006 on the prevention of waste production. New articles are also added, namely Article 261-ter ‘Infringement of the ban on the marketing of cotton buds made of plastic or of other non-biodegradable and non-compostable materials’ and Article 261-quater ‘Infringement of the ban on the marketing of cosmetics containing microplastics’.