On Tuesday 02 June 2020, the Council of Ministers approved the draft law on waste, which aims to put an end to single-use plastics and microplastics. As explained by Teresa Ribera, Minister for Ecological Transition, from July 2021 the use of a large number of disposable plastic utensils such as straws will be banned. In addition, the waste law will also ban microplastics, which are intentionally added to many cosmetics and detergents.
The Spanish Circular Economy Strategy sets a target of halving the use of single-use plastic by 2026 compared to 2022, with a 70% reduction by 2030.
Which single-use plastics are to be banned?
And more and more countries are trying to put an end to such dispensable and unnecessary utensils as plastic straws, which have a lifespan of just a few minutes, but can take up to 500 years to degrade. It is estimated that 13 million plastic straws are used every day in Spain, totalling 5,000 million a year, many of which end up in the sea, causing serious damage to wildlife such as sea turtles. Although this measure comes late, pending approval of the draft bill, the use of plastic straws will be banned by the middle of 2021.
Another of the most common items on beaches, which will be banned, are ear cleaning sticks, which unfortunately end up in the sea due to the bad habit of flushing them down the toilet.
But these utensils are not the only ones affected by the waste law to be passed by Parliament at the beginning of the year. Cutlery, mixing sticks, plates and plastic cups also have their days numbered. So it is hardly surprising that in the year before this proposed law comes into force, it will become increasingly common to find these items made from compostable materials or other more environmentally friendly substitutes for plastic.
New tax on plastic packaging
In addition, in order to meet the "Spain Circular 2030" objectives, and according to the recommendations suggested by the European Commission, a tax on non-reusable plastic packaging in bars, restaurants and home delivery services is foreseen. This tax would come into force from 2023, provided that the draft bill is approved in Parliament.