How Europe wants to stop to use plastic bag?

A new directive from the 29 April 2015 modifies the directive 94/62/CE about the waste packaging. Its purpose is to reduce the use of plastic bag.

Every year an European use 200 plastic bag but most use it only one time and put it after in the trash or not. This contributes to create a big amount of trash and in particular wild trash witch produce a big environmental pollution.

The directive gives the choice for every country to take the decision they want to to be conform to the directive. But it imposes only the fact that they must be conform for the 27 November 2016.

The country should take preventive measure but still have the liberty of how to do it. It’s can be notional reduction objectives, or to maintain or to create economical instrument (taxes or royalties), or to restrain the commercialization of bag.

The objectives for the country are:

- The use of plastic bag must be inferior of 90 bags per person for the 31 December 2019. Then 40 bags per person for the 31 December 2025.

- The interdiction of the gratuity of light plastic bag in commerce unless something such has effective is implemented for the 31 December 2018.


Later than the 27 May 2016 the commission will define a commune calculation method per year of the consumption of plastic bag to follow the evolution of each country. Two years after each country should reveal their annual consumption of plastic bag to the commission.

The method to increase the efficiency is to inform the public how bad is the plastic bag to the environment and stop the idea that the plastic bag is cheaper and don’t hurt the environment.
Later than the 27 may 2017 the commission should present to the European parliament an evaluation of the effectiveness of each measures taken for the fight again wild trash, and how to change the mentalities of the people.