Page 84 - Plastics News December 2019

iNtErNAtioNAL NEws

Italy waters down plastic tax after Slovakia bans single-use plastics

complaints from business from 2021

he Italian government has now halved its planned lovakia banned single-use
Ttax on plastics and excluded products that contain Splastics as of 2021 joining
recycled and biodegradable plastic from the levy. The the European Union fight to
changes to Italy's new plastic tax were contained within reduce marine pollution.
an amendment made to the 2020 budget bill on according The new law will make it
to Italian media reports. The proposed policies, which illegal to sell plastic plates,
are set to come into force in January, are currently being cups, cutlery, drink stirrers,
scrutinised by the Budget Committee. While there was straws and cotton buds,
much excitement over the initial announcements of plastic among similar items. 72
and sugar taxes in Italy, both of these proposals have lawmakers voted in favour of
since been softened considerably after an outcry from the waste management bill,
businesses, as has a planned tax on company cars. The 30 against and 32 abstained. "Our goal is to motivate
tax has now been set at 50 cents per kilogram of plastic people to separate waste, and (for) manufacturers to
product instead of one euro.The law will also now exclude produce recyclable products," Environment Minister
all medical devices and containers, not just syringes, as Laszlo Solymos said after the vote. Waste management
was written in the first draft. Politicians behind the bill, experts believe the law will trigger a boom in the
most notably members of the Five Star Movement, which use of biodegradable packaging. Waste management
has long made the environment a central campaign issue, experts believe the law will trigger a boom in the
said the plastic tax is an environmental policy. But plastic
industry bosses claim the tax has “no environmental use of biodegradable packaging."We expect the new
law to result in a greater use of more sustainable
alternatives from renewable sources—wood, paper
or bioplastics in the everyday life," Katarina Kretter,
a spokeswoman for private recycling company ENVI-
PAK, told AFP. Earlier this year, the European Union
and the European Parliament voted to ban from 2021
single-use plastics such as straws, cutlery and cotton
buds.The European Commission estimates some 70
percent of plastic waste clogs the world's oceans,
killing a range of species from turtles, seals, whales
and seabirds to fish and shellfish. Scientists warn that,
as plastic slowly breaks down, the micro-particles enter
food chains and end up being consumed by humans,
with studies showing toxic traces in the waste of
people in Europe and Asia. Slovakia has the ambition
purpose” and that “it only serves to 'make cash' and will to become a leader in this area in central Europe.
only damage the environment, innovation, industry and In recent years, momentum behind bans on single-use
workers.” Trade association Plastics Europe said that plastic bags has been growing at the local and statewide
“Italy is the second biggest producer of plastics products levels. Advocates want the bags outlawed because,
after Germany," and claimed the “regressive tax” would they say, the disposables cause pollution and litter, and
put 50,000 jobs at risk in Italy. The plastic tax also faced are a threat to wildlife, especially aquatic life when
opposition from Italia Viva, the new centrist party led they end up in rivers, streams and oceans. Statewide
by ex-prime minister Matteo Renzi, which wants the tax prohibitions on single-use plastic bags exist in Vermont,
policy abolished completely, and the far-right Brothers Maine, California, New York and Hawaii.
of Italy party.

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