Eighteen months into the introduction of reforms to reduce the volume of plastic bags used in Greece, a press release by environmental groups on International Plastic Bag-Free Day on Wednesday claims that Greeks may actually be using more plastic than before, while supermarkets are “sidestepping” an environmental levy designed to ‘offset’ their use, according to ANA.
According to a press release from the Marine Environment Cooperation Network and the A.C. Laskaridis Charitable Foundation, nevertheless, supermarkets replaced the ‘thin’ bags with thicker bags containing more plastic, while the money charged for the thicker bags goes directly into the pockets of businesses and entrepreneurs since their price does not include the environmental tax.
For successful implementation of the reforms for restricting plastic bag use, Greece must incorporate directives on disposable plastic and also ensure that the public is well informed while engaging with citizens and interested parties at all stages of formulating and implementing legislation and policy.
RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations, Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report
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