European Commission proposes to reduce the use of plastic bags

The European Commission has adopted a proposal requiring Member States to reduce their use of lightweight plastic carrier bags. In 2010, an estimated 98.6 billion plastic carrier bags were placed on the EU market.
The proposal amends the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive with two main elements. First, Member States are required to adopt measures to reduce the consumption of plastic carrier bags with a thickness below 50 microns, as these are less frequently reused than thicker ones. Second, these measures may include the use of economic instruments, such as charges, national reduction targets, and marketing restrictions (Press Release European Commission 4 September 2013).
Click here for the press release.
Click here for the draft proposal (125 kB).

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