EU own-resource levy on non-recycled plastic packaging waste
Since 2021 each EU member state pays EUR 0.80 per kilogram of non-recycled plastic packaging waste into the EU budget, passed on through national…
Bags
-
-
Spain tax on non-reusable plastic packaging
Spain charges EUR 0.45 per kilogram of non-recycled plastic in non-reusable packaging, in force since 1 January 2023.
-
UK packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (pEPR)
Producers now pay the full net cost of collecting and managing household packaging waste under regulations in force since 1 January 2025, with plastic…
-
UK Plastic Packaging Tax
A per-tonne tax on plastic packaging containing less than 30 percent recycled content, rising with inflation each April.
-
England single-use carrier bag charge
A charge on single-use plastic bags, 5p at large retailers from October 2015 and 10p at all retailers from May 2021, has cut main-retailer…
-
UN Global Plastics Treaty (Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee process)
The legally binding global instrument on plastic pollution mandated by UN Environment Assembly (UNEA) Resolution 5/14 in 2022 remains unagreed after six negotiating sessions.
-
Pet care: bulk food, natural toys and honest poo bags
Dog-poo bags alone can be 3 kg of plastic a year per dog, and compostable ones rarely break down in a bin; bulk food…
-
Mesh or cloth produce bags instead of roll bags
The flimsy roll bags in the fruit aisle are being banned in Western Australia and elsewhere; a washable mesh bag or no bag at…
-
Reusable shopping bag instead of single-use carrier bags
Bag charges cut single-use bag sales at England’s main supermarkets by 98 percent; carrying any bag you already own beats buying a new one.
-
Wool, cotton and linen textiles
Natural fibres that shed during washing like synthetics but biodegrade in months to years instead of persisting; the alternative to polyester, nylon and acrylic.