The European Commission announced its intention to forbid the disposable bags. France has strongly reduced its consumption.
Le Parisien 19.05.2011
Could the European Union decide to forbid plastic bags, or introduce a tax on these pouches, tubes and sleeves, that are resisting and the vast majority end up in the sea? The commissioner of the environment, Janez Potocnik, reported he was thinking about it. A consultation will be launched shortly. " Fifty years ago, we did not practically know the single-use plastic bags. “Today, we only use them for a few minutes, and they pollute our environment for decades ", regretted Janez Potocnik, underlining that some European countries had already taken action.
Since 1 January 2011, Italy has prohibited the distribution of plastic bags in stores and supermarkets. A kind of cultural minirévolution in this country, which alone represents almost a quarter of plastic bags consumed in Europe.
Seven years ago, Ireland was a pioneer in introducing a tax of 5 cents per disposable bag. The result is that the number of disposable plastic bags has been reduced by 90%. A great achievement, the French distributors also claim to have done, only through their consumer awareness campaigns.
"The number of plastic bags distributed in supermarkets, rose from 10 billion in 2002 to 1 billion units in 2009," says the Federation of Trade and Distribution, which, for four years, fought tooth and nail against the introduction of a similar tax in France. Waste of time. After the beginning of a controversy, the members of parliament finally voted, within the framework of the finance law 2011, the introduction of a tax on shopping bags, whether free or paid, as they are not biodegradable.
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