One year after the an environmental fee worth €0.04 / piece of light plastic bag (15-50μm) came into force, the ACR+ member Ecological Recycling Company, together with the Mediterranean Network SOS, Greenpeace, and WWF Greece published an analytical review of the positive developments, but also the gaps that still exist, in the implementation of this charge. 
 
The report estimates that the number of plastic bags used in 2018 dropped by a commendable 54% and the amount of plastic by 42%.
 
However, there are several factors which overshadow this positive development/ For instance, in a business-as-usual scenario, it is estimated that in 2019:

  • Greece will likely fail to reach its recycling target: even if the overall number of plastic bags in use drops by 65-70%, it will not be enough to achieve the EU annual target of 90 pieces per capita. At a projected 120-175 bags/person, Greece will continue to exceed this target.
  • It is very likely that the amount of plastic in plastic bags increases by 8-26% compared to 2017, as the bigger plastic bags, which are not taxed, are much heavier. 

Source: www.ecorec.gr (in Greek)

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