Germany: Federal Environment Agency recommends expansion of fee on shopping bags

Germany has a highly developed waste management system. Plastic bags often nevertheless still find their way into the environment.
The German Federal Environment Agency Umwelt Bundesambt (UBA) is recommending a further reduction in the use of disposable plastic carrier bags and an expansion of the fee on shopping bags which is already in place in the retail food trade. This will help to use resources efficiently, avoid waste and to reduce the input of waste to the oceans and seas. Current data shows that both small and large disposable plastic bags and their residues can be found along all the drift lines of the North and Baltic Seas (Press Release UBA, 24 February 2014).
Click here for the press release.

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