After a recent warning from the EU, the government springs into action.
The Ministry of Environmental Protection and Energy commented on a recent warning issued by the European Commission that Croatia had not yet notified it about measures which it would take in order to reduce the consumption of lightweight plastic carrying bags, reports Večernji List on October 6, 2017.
The Ministry states that Croatia would introduce a model for compulsory payment for lightweight plastic bags at retail outlets. They explain that the EU directive says that EU member states must take measures to reduce the consumption of lightweight plastic bags by ensuring mandatory payment at a point of sale or by introducing a limit on consumption per capita.
These provisions of the directive will be introduced in Croatia as part of the Regulations on Packaging and Waste Packaging. The regulations have already been submitted to the public consultation process and have been included in the TRIS base – a public consultation system at the European Union level.
“The Regulations will be adopted in a regular procedure, which will be followed by their publication in the Official Gazette. Therefore, there will be no delay in the EU directive's transfer into the Croatian legislation,” the Ministry claims. The European Commission has threatened Croatia with a lawsuit at the EU court if, within two months, it did not receive a satisfactory answer about the lightweight plastic bags issue. These are bags which are commonly used when purchasing goods in supermarkets, clothing and footwear stores. They will not be allowed to be distributed freely after 31 December 2018.
As for very lightweight plastic bags, for example, those used in supermarkets for fruit and vegetables, the Regulations stipulate that retailers will have to place a notice to consumers about economical and rational use. Such bags will be marked with the inscription “While a bag protects food, you protect the environment.”
It is estimated that the annual consumption of plastic bags in Croatia reaches about 8,000 tons a year. According to the European Commission’s assessment that the average weight of a plastic bag is 8.5 grams, the annual consumption of bags in Croatia is approximately 954,000,000 pieces or 212 bags per capita per year.
Translated from Večernji List.
