EU Commission seeks to cut carrier bag use

The Commission yesterday (November 4) adopted a proposal that requires Member States to reduce the use of lightweight plastic carrier bags. Under the proposal, Member States can choose the measure they find most appropriate to achieve this including: the introduction of charges; national reduction charges; or a ban under certain conditions.

The proposals come less than two months after deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg unveiled plans to introduce a 5p charge on single-use carrier bags in England from autumn 2015 (see letsrecycle.com story). Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland have also agreed to implement charging schemes which are already underway in the former two countries.

High reduction rates achieved by some Member States through the introduction of charges show that results can be achieved through effective action, according to the Commission.

Commenting on the proposals, environment commissioner Janez Potonik said: We’re taking action to solve a very serious and highly visible environmental problem. Every year, more than 8 billion plastic bags end up as litter in Europe, causing enormous environmental damage. Some Member States have already achieved great results in terms of reducing their use of plastic bags. If others followed suit we could reduce today’s overall consumption in the European Union by as much as 80%.

According to the Commission, in 2010, an estimated 98.6 billion plastic carrier bags were placed on the EU market.

Measures

The proposal would amend the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive with two main elements. First, Member States would be required to adopt measures to reduce the consumption of plastic carrier bags with a thickness below 0.05mm (50 microns), as these are less frequently reused than thicker ones, and often end up as litter, according to the Commission. Second, the measures may include the use of economic instruments, such as charges, national reduction targets, and marketing restrictions (subject to the internal market rules of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU).

It is hoped this would allow Member States to have more freedom to introduce restrictive measures; however any measures must be compatible with EU law.

Member States may maintain or adopt measures that restrict the free movement of goods, provided that these are proportionate (i.e. restricted to what is necessary to achieve the legitimate aim of protecting the environment), and are non-discriminatory (i.e. they may not discriminate packaging originating from other Member States and may not protect their domestic market).

Should the proposal be approved by the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers it will enter into force 20 days after publication in the Official Journal of the European Union. Member States will have 12 months for transposition, and two years to implement the Directive.