Iceland's Plastic Bag Ban Came Into Effect on 1st Jan, 2021
Plastic Recycling | 2021-01-06 12:03:01
The ban is applicable to thicker, traditional shopping bags as well as thinner smaller kinds of plastic bags, including clear vegetable bags.
By Paul Ploumis
SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The rule that prohibits stores from delivering plastic carrier bags to customers has come into effect beginning January 1, 2021 in Iceland. The ban is in line with a European initiative to reduce use of single-use plastics towards protecting environmental health.
The ban is applicable to thicker, traditional shopping bags as well as thinner smaller kinds of plastic bags, including clear vegetable bags. However, the ban will not be applicable to those plastic bags that are sold in rolls on store shelves. The stores are allowed to offer bags other than plastic to customers, but a fee must be charged on them. This fee is expected to promote the use of reusable bags.
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A statement issued by the Iceland government authorities noted that the ban is only one among several measures taken by the administration to reduce the use of plastics and promote recycling in order to tackle the rising plastic waste crisis. Incidentally, lightweight plastic carrier bags are one of the top ten littered items in the entire European region. The country outlines various other steps in its action plan in plastic matters.
The European Commission had directed its members to take necessary measures to ensure that annual consumption of such bags does not exceed 90 per person by end-2019 and 40 per person by end-2025.
