10 Cents for the Planet

10 cents for t he planet

How Portugal is taxing plastic bags – with tremendous success.

At the end of 2014, Portugal published a law to start taxing lightweight plastic bags that are less than 50 microns thick and are generally used for shopping (not the smaller ones used for loose fruit, vegetables, meat and fish). Instead of handing them out for free, shops, restaurants or other businesses began to charge 10 cents per bag.

This system, which was launched in February 2015, led to a gradual reduction in the number of plastic bags between 2015 and 2018 (except those used for charity donations).

The EU target is 90 bags per person by 31 December 2019. In 2018, Portugal reduced this number to 5.9 bags per person.

The reduction in the production of these plastic bags is also reflected in the level of export/shipment, with a decrease of more than 60% between 2015 and 2018.

Given these results, the measure has had the desired effect of reducing the number of lightweight plastic bags used in Portugal and encouraging consumers to opt for more environmentally sustainable solutions like reusable bags.

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