Plastic straws, along with nine other single-use plastic items, are to be phased out in the next few months in Ireland.
Plastic straws, cutlery and cotton buds are among others which are set to be completely illegal by 2021.
The list is compiled of the plastic items that are most frequently found polluting beaches across Europe.
Plastic plates, balloon sticks and cigarette filters are also listed among the items.
The European Parliament voted to ban these products in March but officially approved the motion on Tuesday.
Strict rules are to be set in order to ban plastic products and their packaging by the European Parliament.
As other replacements can be purchased, straws, cutlery and plates will be taken off the market by 2021 and all others will have limits on usage and clean-up guidelines for manufacturers.
First Vice-President Frans Timmermans who is responsible for sustainable development said: "There is a growing sense of urgency in European society to do whatever it takes to stop plastic pollution in our oceans.
“The European Union is responding to this clear call of our citizens. We have taken ambitious steps by introducing concrete measures to reduce the use of single-use plastics.
"The new rules adopted today will help us to protect the health of our people and safeguard our natural environment, while promoting more sustainable production and consumption.
“We can all be proud that Europe is setting new and ambitious standards, paving the way for the rest of the world."
The 10 most common plastic items found on beaches, and those that are included in the ban are cigarette butts, bottles, bags, food containers, balloons, cups and lids, sweet wrappers, cutlery and straws, cotton buds and sanitary products.
The aim is for 90% collection target for plastic bottles by 2029, 77% by 2025.
The use of plastic bags in Ireland reduced by 90% after a levy was applied in 2002.
