Germany bans plastic bags in supermarkets from 2022 | Abroad

Lightweight plastic bags of the kind that customers usually collect at the checkout should be banned after a transition period that was extended from six to 12 months at the request of the industry.

Stable reusable bags and thin plastic bags used in the fruit and vegetable departments are excluded from the ban.

“The plastic bag is the epitome of wasting resources,” said Environment Minister Svenja Schulze, who initiated the ban. “Good alternatives are shopping baskets, washable fabric bags for fruit and vegetables and reusable boxes for products from the fresh produce departments.

For the environmental organization WWF, the ban is only symbolic. Plastic bags account for only 1 percent of plastic consumption in Germany.

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