Plastic bag ban in Austria
2min read
31/12/2019
From 1 January 2020, the plastic bag ban will take effect in Austria.
This means that no new plastic carrier bags may be put into circulation. However, shops that already have bags in stock may use them up until the end of 2020 thanks to a transitional period. Currently, this ban only applies to Austria, but it could soon become a reality in Germany as well. All important facts about the ban at a glance:
Are all plastic carrier bags affected?
No, there are exceptions. Reusable robust carrier bags with sewn joints or sewn handles are still allowed. For example, the PP woven carrier bags, the non-woven carrier bags or the practical foldable polyester carrier bags are allowed. They fulfil the criteria that they are still allowed.
Also still allowed are the ultra-thin plastic bags, which are mostly used for fruit and vegetables. However, they must be made from predominantly renewable raw materials and basically be suitable for self-composition.
This does not apply to bags that have neither a handle nor a grip hole or are made of natural polymers that have not been chemically modified.
Why are the bags banned?
In Austria, 5000-6000 tonnes of plastic carrier bags are produced every year. If you calculate that down, it comes to about 0.8 kg per inhabitant. Compared to other European countries, this is a good value, but it should be improved. (Data from Altstoff Recycling Austria AG (ARA, Vienna / Austria)
Can we do without plastic bags?
Yes it can. Rwanda is a pioneer. Plastic bags were banned here as early as 2008. Kenya followed suit 2 years ago with the strictest plastic bag law.
Tanzania joined the ranks of countries with a plastic bag ban in 2020.
Germany has so far only reached a voluntary agreement with the trade, but this has nevertheless already had a clear impact. Since 2016, per capita consumption has almost halved.
In order to actually reduce plastic consumption per capita, it is important that plastic-free variants such as paper carrier bags are used and that other plastic packaging is not used.
