Germany to Ban Plastic Use Across Country by 2022

Germany, the largest plastic producer in Europe, has taken strict measure to stop plastic use after passing a ban on all plastic bags from 2022.

The government announced to ban single-use plastic bag at malls, stores and supermarkets, attempting to reduce plastic pollution and meet its European Union (EU) goal.

Last month German lawmakers agreed to a complete ban. The decision comes as the EU set a goal to reduce plastic bag pollution by 80 per cent by 2025.

The decision indicates that retailers have less than 12 months to reduce their remaining plastic bag stocks which is something that could be challenging for smaller shops.

https://newseu.cgtn.com/news/2021-01-04/Germany-m

Small shop owner Kostas Kallias has called for the government to revise such decision, saying that "The problem for me is that a 12-month period is not good enough because we have a lot in stock."

He added that "The government has to find a solution or to give us the money back or to give us a little bit more time to send them away."

Nearly 100 billion plastic bags are used in the EU every year, with two billion of them in Germany. Plastic bags cause serious crises for the environment, mainly in the seas and oceans.

On the other hand, the critics of the plastic bag ban who say the focus is wrong include Germany's marine conservation department at the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

The department's senior advisor, Bernhaud Bauske said that "If you have a look at the production of plastics in Germany, only less than one per cent is the amount of plastic which is used for single-use plastic bags."

Presently a voluntary charge scheme for using a plastic bag reduced numbers but the country's environment ministry says it's not enough.

With just over a year until the full ban, businesses and their customers will start noticing the changes next month and begin to make the world a little bit better.