European Interest

Greeks say no to plastic

Flickr/Newtown grafitti/CC BY 2.0

Greeks have cut down on plastic bags since being forced to pay for them.  According to data published by the Hellenic Recycling Agency, the use of plastic bags in Greece has dropped by as much as 85%.

The data suggests that the introduction of the eco-tax on plastic bags a year ago seems to be working.

As reported by the English edition of Greece’s Kathimerini newspaper online, a 2015 EU directive requires national governments to ensure that by the end of 2019, no more than 90 single-use bags are consumed annually per person. By the end of 2025, that number should drop to 40 bags each.

It is estimated that the average Greek used more than 300 plastic bags in 2017.

The cost of plastic bags went up from 4 cents to 9 cents on January 1.

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