EU & Spain on Plastic Bags

Marta Rodríguez Santamaría

 Regulation in Spain on plastic bags

In 18 May, the government has approved the Royal Decree on the

consumption of plastic bags created by the European Union.

It has been agreed that starting July 1 the bags will begin to be charged.

Due to some legal procedures, the obligatory charge of plastic bags was a
problem in the past creating a delay that nowadays has entered into force.

Principal objective of the Royal Decree:

“It is a regulation of European scope, which was adopted to prevent or reduce

the impact on the environment of packaging and its waste.”
Royal Decree on the consumption of plastic bags

Royal Decree project of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and Environment says that:

● As of July 1, bags must be charged (except for the very light ones and the recycled ones).
● As of 2020, the thick bags must contain at least 50% recycled plastic and the fragmentable plastic ones
are banned.
● As of 2021, light and very lightweight plastic bags are prohibited except for compostable ones.

Objectives:
1. The law sets the goal of reducing consumption of plastic bags to less than 90 light plastic bags per person
per year with a deadline of December 31, 2019, which would become 40 bags per person per year in
December 2025.
2. The second objective is linked to thicker bags (more than 50 microns), whose consumption is expected to
drop by 30% compared to its use in 2016.
3. Finally, the law requires a new marking of bags to offer recycling instructions and also collect information
on the effectiveness of the measure
Regulation on plastic bags in the EU

In the European Union the regulation of plastic bags is governed by Directive 94/62 / EC (20/12/94) and EU
Directive 2015/720 (04/29/2015)

Directive 94/62 / EC (20/12/94) : It is a regulation of European scope, which was adopted to prevent or reduce
the impact on the environment of packaging and its waste. Thanks to it, databases were created on the
packaging and waste generated by each Member State, thus facilitating information on the magnitude and
evolution of these waste throughout all these years.

Directive 2015/720 (04/29/2015): It is an amendment to Directive 94/62 / EC (1994), which includes specific
sections for the reduction of "lightweight plastic bags"

In addition, a maximum period has been established until November 27, 2018, where member states must
ensure that biodegradable plastic bags are labeled.
Relation in the regulation on plastic bags between Spain and EU

The average EU citizen consumes 198 plastic carrier bags per year.

For that reason, the EU created the amendment Directive

2015/720 (04/29/2015) in that moment all member states have
had to agree with the directive created to reduce the use of plastic
bags.

Some states like France, UK, Belgium, Germany, Sweden, Italy and
Netherlands had created associations in favor to reduce the use of
plastic bags.

In Spain only introduced a tax for plastic carrier bags in 2013.

References

Leyes del consumo de las bolsas de plástico

- Admin. (February 10, 2018). Leyes consumo de bolsas de plástico. May 29, 2018, de Mundo Renaturis
Sitio web:
https://renaturis.com/blog/2018/02/10/conoces-las-leyes-sobre-el-consumo-de-bolsas-de-plastico/

El cobro obligatorio de las bolsas de plástico en el comercio se retrasa

- Anónimo. (February 22, 2018). El cobro obligatorio de las bolsas de plástico en el comercio se retrasa.
May 29, 2018, de La Vanguardia Sitio web:
http://www.lavanguardia.com/natural/20180221/44960042749/cobro-obligatorio-bolsas-plastico-se-ret
rasa.html
Normativa sobre bolsas de plástico en comercios: Preguntas frecuentes
- Anónimo. ( May 22, 2018). Normativa sobre bolsas de plástico en comercios. May 29, 2018, de Rajapack
blog Sitio web: https://www.rajapack.es/blog-es/embalaje/normativa-bolsas-plastico-comercios-faq/
Regulation in the European Union
- Anónimo. (sin fecha). Regulations in the EU. May 29, 2018, de Thepaperbag Sitio web:
https://www.thepaperbag.org/for-compliance-with-the-law/regulations-in-eu/