Circular Economy and Plastic

Ditch t he plast ic

How Czechia is gearing up to the 2021 single-use plastic ban by encouraging both companies and consumers to use reusable coffee cups.

As part of the global issue of plastic waste, the urban to-go lifestyle and its alarming use of disposable plastic cups is a relevant issue for big cities around the world. »Do you really need all of those?« the Czech Ministry of Environment asks in its advertising campaign #dostbyloplastu (#enoughwithplastic) – each Prague citizen uses 250 disposable cups a year. Whereas other cities such as New York have banned disposable cups to reduce the amount of rubbish, the Czech campaign encourages locals to bring their own cups – by actively supporting cafés and restaurants that give customers who use refillable coffee cups a discount.

»Dost bylo plastu« is an ongoing project and a voluntary initiative started by the authorities to reduce singleuse plastic and, ideally, even other single-use materials. Companies like Vodafone – who started »Plastic Free Vodafone« – municipalities, non-governmental organisations, and individuals are joining the initiative by pledging to improve their single-use consumption in line with the specific actions and goals.

»Our aim is to prepare the public for the 2021 singleuse plastic ban by teaching them to use reusable packaging and containers«, explains Petra Roubickova, spokesperson at the Ministry. In addition, the campaign aims to support both companies that reduce their own waste and companies that create and set up intelligent reuse systems, i.e. zero

Richard Brabec, Czech Minister of Environment, chatting to customers about their shopping habits at the Prague farmers’ market.

waste shops and deposit systems for reusable coffee cups or takeaway meals. Barbora Smudkova from the Ministry: »More than 60 subjects have signed up to the initiative, and dozens have consulted with the Ministry on their packaging strategies or are supported by our communication.«

To reach the public, the Ministry also cooperates with

Prague’s most popular farmers’ market Náplavka, where the Minister of Environment Richard Brabec discussed the issue with customers who had been invited to fill in questionnaires on single-use vs. reusable products and their own habits. The Náplavka market is a weekly market with 100 stands held each Saturday, where thousands of locals come to buy regional food. Equipped with reusable bags, they are invited to start using them while shopping.

cr2030.cz/zavazky/dost-bylo-plastu

Contact: barbora.smudkova@mzp.cz

»More than 60 subjects have signed up to the initiative, and dozens have consulted with the Ministry on their packaging strategies or are supported by our communication.« – Barbora Smudkova,

Ministry of Environment