A serious backlog in the implementation of European legislation on disposable plastic indicates that environmental organization WWF. According to him, measures to limit the use plastic cups and food containers – levying an environmental levy, providing alternative products, etc. – are practically not used in practice, and “forbidden” products, such as plastic straws and cutlery, are still on the market. For my part, Mr. Hellenic Recycling Organization (EOAN) admits there are few inspections, but says they will take a more coordinated form from September.

The WWF report published yesterday assesses the progress of the implementation of Law 4736, which included the relevant EU directive (EU 2019/904) in October 2020. As the organization notes:

• Plastic straws still dominate the market. “In general, the measure is being implemented, and already these goods are no longer available in most retail outlets and in all supermarket chains. In practice, however, we are still seeing an overconsumption of plastic straws, as there seems to be a spin-off cycle of illegal disposal of these items if left unchecked,” he says. These items are banned from sale as of May 2022.

• Poor enforcement of regulations for plastic cups and food containers. By law, stores selling coffee or food must (from January 1, 2022) pay a fee of 5 cents on both the container and its lid. They must also inform their customers about the possibility to shop with their own tableware (exempt from collection) and provide reusable containers for purchase.

“Nearly eight months after the implementation of the regulation on plastic cups and food containers, we can safely say that implementation is facing great difficulties. In an informal survey conducted by WWF in Greece in more than 50 food service establishments, we found that in a few stores, reusable items are displayed prominently, and there is no information about the possibility of serving multifunctional utensils in case of delivery. (…) The main problem, as follows from the complaints of market participants, concerns the failure to comply with the fee. In most cases, the cost of the fee was included in the final sale price of the products, and the environmental fee is not attributed to the state, resulting in a loss of revenue for the state of several million euros.” , says the organization.

The organization claims that the environmental fee for plastic cups is included in the price of the product, and is not assigned to the state.

• Extension for public taps. Municipalities are required by law to install free public taps at playgrounds, municipal sports facilities and public places to encourage the use of refillable bottles. “After almost a year, little has been done by the municipal authorities. In the vast majority of them, funds are not allocated for the creation of public taps.”

• Problematic mechanisms of the guarantee return system. The state delayed by two years to determine how to organize a system that has been in place for decades in most European countries. Thus, in a recent comprehensive bill, the Ministry of Natural Resources extended the opening period for six months, which was postponed to the summer of 2023 (see “K” 08.04.22).

Methods

WWF talks about the “methods” of the system, the main one being the decision not to collect all manufacturers/suppliers of plastic and glass bottles and metal cans for drinks, soft drinks or water in one system. “This is what many market participants, as well as WWF Greece, consider catastrophic, since it is very likely to observe drift and phenomena of unfair competition between systems,” he estimates. He also expresses his disagreement with the size of the guarantee price – what the citizen will receive in the coupon when returning the parcel: management of packaging and much greater awareness of the population, the price is much higher (according to 2019, in Germany the cost is 0.25 euros, in the Netherlands 0.25, in Finland 0.11-0.40, in Denmark 0.13-0.40) . )’.

Finally, he expresses concern that the way the system is organized will lead to serious disruption. “Decision-making on critical issues, such as verifying the authenticity of vouchers issued to citizens and the technical characteristics of cash-in-transit machines, is postponed indefinitely. Worse, it is not clear how attempts to manipulate the warranty return system will be prevented; by concealing the number of parcels, fictitious processing and collection of parcels.

Weakness of control

Just one fine in 21 months of the legislation was imposed on a company that makes plastic straws. The Hellenic Recycling Organization (EOAN) admits that the control measures are not enough, but promises that they will take a more systematic form from September. “We have a weakness in controlling the entire country,” says EOAN President Nikos Chiotakis. “That’s why we demanded, and with the help of Law 4964/22, controls were established, which other regulatory bodies should also exercise. In addition, we have defined an audit plan that will begin to be implemented in September. Our goal is not so much to penalize retailers who sell straws, but to identify companies that import or manufacture straws. A fine has already been imposed on the manufacturing industry in Crete, in the industrial zone of Heraklion, and another one will be imposed in the region of East Macedonia – Thrace. With regard to the collection of the environmental fee, according to information recently provided by AADE to EOAN (for the period from January 1 to July 20), 3.37 million euros were collected. “We don’t know if this is a lot or a little, as there is no evidence. But we are learning tricks, like some shops selling coffee in a slightly thicker plastic cup that they present as reusable to avoid legislation, as they did with the plastic bag.”

– Plastic straws and cutlery were supposed to “disappear” from May 2022.

– Only one fine has been imposed on a company based in Crete that produces plastic straws, and one more will be imposed in Thrace in 21 months of the law.

– It is estimated that 2-2.5 billion plastic bottles are “consumed” in Greece every year.

– In mid-2023, a recycling system for plastic, glass and metal beverage bottles will be created with a “return” of 0.10-0.15 euros per pack.

– From the beginning of January, shops that sell coffee or food in single-use plastic containers must charge 0.05 euros as an environmental fee. To date, 3.37 million euros have been collected.