Page 38 - Plastics News June 2021

internAtionAL news

Tallahassee City Commission Italy delays plastic packaging

Adopts Single Use Plastic Policy tax to January 2022

he City of Tallahassee, Florida, has adopted a single-use he Italian government officially confirmed that Italy’s
Tplastics policy at the June 2 city commission meeting. T€450/tonne plastic packaging tax will be delayed
The policy restricts the utilization of single-use plastics until January 2022. The law is set to tax non-recyclable
for all food and beverage service at City events and on plastic packaging at a rate of €0.45 per kilogram.
City property. The new policy is expected to have a fiscal Disposable plastic packaging manufactured using
impact on the City’s expenses with an estimated increase bioplastics or recycled materials will be exempt from
in cost of $50,000 a year. The policy focuses on restricting the tax. Medical device and pharmaceutical packaging
the distribution and use of the single-use plastics and will also not
be t a xed.
The country’s
Prime Minister,
Giuseppe Conte,
announced the
delay as part
of an effort
t o min imize
the economic
damage being
ca u se d by
the COVID-19
promotes an alternative such as paper or biodegradable pandemic. “We
plastics, also known as bioplastic. The increase in cost is worked on this
due to the transitioning from single-use plastics to a more decree in the awareness that this is a country in great
environmentally friendly option.In a price comparison difficulty, with a community of women, of people, in
provided at the meeting, an average plastic clamshell great suffering,” he said. The delay is estimated to cost
container cost $0.13 and a bioplastic clamshell container the government €140 million worth of tax revenue. The
cost $0.41, a difference of $0.28. This change comes as tax has been postponed several times already. The tax
the City of Tallahassee continues to increase its efforts will be payable by packaging producers, with recycled
to reduce its impact on the environment. Over the past plastics and compostable biodegradable plastics set to
several years the city has distributed thousands of reusable be exempt. The tax on plastic was scheduled to come
shopping bags and water bottles to increase public into force on July 1st this year, following a previous
awareness on the effects of plastic on our environment. postponement from January of this year and July 2020
It has been estimated that 79 percent of 8.3 billion tons before that. It was first included in the 2020 Budget
of plastic produced between 1950 and 2020 ended up in Law. But the government has now delayed it again until
landfills or in the environment, according to a study done January 1st 2022, while some parties aim to have it
by the United Nations Environmental Program in 2018. scrapped altogether. The tax is intended to apply to
a wide range of products including bottles, bags and
Of that 8.3 billion tons of plastic only nine percent was food containers made of polyethylene, tetra packs,
recycled. The City of Tallahassee has been a pioneer packaging made from expanded polystyrene, rolls of
in sustainability and resiliency through highly efficient pluri-ball plastic and plastic caps. Although the tax has
operations, impactful community-wide campaigns and been delayed, businesses that are likely to be affected
bold strategic initiatives. That holistic, focused, long-term by it should start planning now on how to meet their
organizational commitment earned the City of Tallahassee obligations and to identify opportunities to reduce
recognition as a Gold level LEED-certified City by the U.S. reliance on single use plastics in their supply chains
Green Building Council (USGBC). and processes.

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