About 177kg of waste via packaging is generated per person in the European Union annually. Photograph: Mario Tama/Getty Images The European Commission is targeting plastic tea bags, mini hotel shampoo bottles and coffee pods as part of a plan to curb Europe’s “growing mountain of waste” on Wednesday. Waste from packaging has increased by 20 per cent over the last decade and is forecast to continue to rise, with about 177kg generated per person in the European Union annually, an amount that is straining the capacity of rubbish systems. The proposal would ban “unnecessary” packaging such as miniature plastic hotel...