Germany to Initiate New Legislation to Ban Plastic Bags

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster):  The German Environment Minister Svenja Schulze announced that her Ministry plans to introduce a new law to ban the use of plastic bags in the country. However, she declined to specify a time line for the introduction of the new legislation.

Earlier in July 2016, the German government had reached an agreement with the retail industry to curb the use of plastic bags. Accordingly, companies were given freedom to decide the cost of their plastic bags. The voluntary scheme had encouraged retailers to stop giving away bags for free.

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According to Ministry of Environment, the above scheme has obviously helped in reducing plastic bag consumption. Incidentally, plastic bag consumption recorded drastic decline by 64% as compared with the 2015 levels. Currently, many German stores collect charges for plastic bags from customers.

Schulze noted that the new legislation is aimed at eliminating the use of single-use plastic bags. The Ministry plans to reach an agreement with businesses to reduce plastic packaging for fruits and vegetables.