The use of plastic bags in Slovakia is to be reduced. The government has approved an amendment to the law on waste materials, to make consumers pay for them. The initiative was advanced by the Environment Ministry. The annual plastic bag consumption for an ordinary Slovak is 466, while the average consumption in the EU is around 200 bags per citizen.
Slovakia is under an obligation to cut down on the use of plastic bags by European directives. Member countries face two options to make sure that each citizen does not use more than 90 a year by the end of 2019, or make sure that they aren't provided to shoppers for free.
If approved by Parliament, the bill should come into force as of March 1, 2017.
Rafal Kiepuszewski, Photo: AP/TASR
