Filenews 21 October 2021 - by Angelos Nikolaou
In the near future, the sale of lightweight plastic carrier bags at the points of sale of the products is expected to be permanently banned, which is expected to minimise the use of these bags to a large extent. For almost four years now, with the application of the charge at the points of sale of lightweight plastic carrier bags at the price of €0.05 plus VAT, a reduction in use at points of sale by approximately 80% has already been achieved. This issue was addressed by parliament's Committee on the Environment when considering an amending draft regulation tabled by the Department of the Environment.
The plastic bag manufacturers have asked for time credit in implementing the legislation, arguing that jobs will be lost. They disagree with this legislation because of the expected reduction in their turnover and profits.
According to the Department of Environment, there will be an impact on the producers of plastic carrier bags, both negative in terms of reducing the production of this product, and positive ones related to the increase in production for companies producing alternatives, such as reusable carrier bags. In the same way, there will be an impact on jobs, both negative for jobs in the production of plastic carrier bags, and positive in the production of more environmentally friendly transport methods, such as reusable transport bags. Therefore, the ban on the disposal of lightweight plastic carrier bags and oxo-breaking bags at points of sale will affect the sales of manufacturers/importers, but without any particularly significant and negative impact.
In addition, there is expected to be little compliance costs for consumers, since they will have to buy and always carry a reusable carrying bag with them.
The adoption of a stricter measure that prohibits the use of the thin plastic carrier bag at the points of sale, is a one-way street for the Republic of Cyprus since since July 2018, when the legislation on charging the bag was implemented until today, no mechanism has been found for the collection of the amount charged from plastic bags, and therefore the costs charged to the consumer were left as a cost to the retailers. Furthermore, the trend that is now adopted at European level is to further reduce the use of plastic and ban specific single-use items to protect the environment and save natural resources.
The points of sale include the points of sale concerning home delivery. By banning the use, the public will have sole responsibility for transporting the products they buy in another way. At the same time, there will be no possibility of profiteering, as it has been observed that many sellers benefit from the money from the charge of the thin plastic carrier bag, without the relevant provisions of the legislation being implemented.
The ban had been proposed before, before the adoption of the 2017 Regulations, both by the House Standing Committee on the Environment and by the Commissioner for the Environment.
The amending draft regulations adopt a ban on the use of oxo-broken plastic carrier bags. According to a relevant study by the European Commission, the use of the oxo-detachable plastic bag has a negative impact on the environment, due to the way it is broken down into small pieces and its use is not indicated.
The Federation of Environmental Organizations of Cyprus (OPOK) agrees with the content of the amending draft regulations and recommends its approval by the House of Representatives.
