EnviroMinistry to Ban Plastic Bags Given Out for Free

Bratislava, July 26 (TASR) – In an effort to reduce the consumption of plastic bags, the Environment Ministry has proposed an amendment to the Waste Act banning shops from giving them to their customers for free, and shops should also be obliged to keep records of sold plastic bags, TASR learnt on Tuesday.

According to an organisation called Envi-pak, one Slovak consumes 466 plastic bags per year, while the EU average stands at 200 bags.

Slovakia is obliged by European directives to reduce consumption of plastic bags. EU member countries have two options provided by the directive: they either should ensure that the annual consumption of light plastic bags doesn’t exceed 90 per capita by the end of 2019 and 40 by 2025, or they should make sure that they won’t be provided to shoppers for free.

The Environment Ministry-sponsored bill, currently in the inter-ministerial comment phase, is envisaged to enter into force as of March 1, 2017.