Latvia proposes plastic bag ban

Latvia has proposed amendments to the European Commission’s packaging Law to suggest banning the use of plastic carrier bags in the country.

The draft law proposes a ban on handing out free plastic bags at sales outlets from 1^st January 2019. Very lightweight plastic bags will still be made available for loose foods, but consumers will need to be made aware of the necessity to reduce the consumption of plastic bags. It proposes the use of reusable or other packaging.

The idea is that by 1 January 2025 plastic carrier bag packaging at sales outlets should have been replaced by cardboard, paper or other natural fibre and bio-plastic materials. Very light plastic bags should still be made available for packing loose food and for hygiene reasons.

The draft law applies the restrictions on plastic carrier bags on all types of plastic bag, regardless of the thickness of the material used. The only exception to this is the very light plastic bag, which can be up to a thickness of 15 microns.

Says the proposal,, “Having assessed the statistical data on plastic carrier bags and the information from a study conducted by SIA Geo Consultants, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development found that in addition to the existing economic instruments (increased rates of natural resources tax for plastic carrier bags) another measure should be introduced for the reduction of the consumption of plastic carrier bags in order to achieve the targets set by 2015/720/EU.

“Introduction of this measure is also justified because it corresponds with the measures designed and taken by other EU Member States to reduce the consumption of light plastic carrier bags. The neighbouring countries of Estonia and Lithuania also plan to impose a ban on free light plastic carrier bags for consumers at sales outlets.”

The Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development believes that this framework will ensure a reduction in the number of durable plastic bags being consumed and expect that the total quantity of packaging in the country will not increase.