BRUSSELS – The European Union commission is considering directives that would reduce plastic bag usage within those nations by 80%, The Guardian reports. The proposal would mandate member countries to pick three ways of cutting bag waste: fees, bans or a national target on lowering usage. It will likely take around two years for such a proposal to become a mandate.

“We're taking action to solve a very serious and highly visible environmental problems. Every year, more than 8 billion plastic bags end up as litter in Europe, causing enormous environmental damage. Some member states have already achieved great results in reducing their use of plastic bags. If others followed suit we could reduce today's overall consumption in the EU by as much as 80%,” said Janez Potocnik, EU environment commissioner.

The European Union reports that each EU citizen consumes around 500 plastic bags each year. Opponents of the proposal pointed out the measure gave member nations too much discretion by letting them to come up with their own goals. According to a 2008 estimate, the most recent available, the European Union uses 3.4 million tons of plastic bags annually.

“While a European approach to reducing plastic use is long overdue, the commission is sitting on the fence with today's proposals. The failure to set out clear targets for reducing lightweight plastic bags will clearly undermine the prospect of ensuring a reduction across the EU. Instead, the commission is leaving it open to member states to decide how and to what extent they seek to reduce plastic bag use,” said Margrete Auken, a Green MEP from Denmark.