No more free plastic grocery bags in Greece

A new waste reduction initiative to decrease the use of plastic bags will be put into place from January

 

If you find yourself in a Greek supermarket and want a plastic bag to carry your groceries, get ready to pay up.

A new waste reduction initiative to decrease the use of plastic bags will be put into place from January; it sees a three cent fee imposed on all plastic bags, which will rise to seven cents in 2019.

This is limited to plastic bags thicker than 15 micrometers (μm), and excludes bags used for light sanitary products or bulk food produce.

According to the new policy, all revenue from the fee will be used by the Greek Recycling Organization, in cooperation with municipalities, to provide alternative types of reusable or biodegradable plastic bags to consumers.

Source: neoskosmos.com