Plastic bags must pay 200,000 euros to the state – TVI24

The Government proposes to achieve in 2016 a revenue of 200,000 euros from the tax on lightweight plastic bags, as in force a year ago, today said a source from the Ministry of Environment.

The new rate ten cents for plastic bags, which entered into force on 15 February last year, intended to reduce the use of 466 bags per inhabitant per year, one of the highest in Europe, to 50 bags.

the previous Government pointed to the collection of 40 million euros as a result of the application of this rate in 2015, and the amount received was EUR 1.5 million, while for “2016 are provided 200,000 euros,” the Ministry Environment, in response to Lusa agency issues.

the integrated measure the Green Taxation and advanced by the former Environment Minister, Jorge Moreira da Silva, aims to contribute to the decrease of plastic amount they are polluting the environment with particular focus on the oceans.

the lightweight plastic bags with thickness less than 50 microns, before offered in stores, mainly in supermarkets, break down easily and break into small particles that are ingested by fish and seabirds, causing his death, and eventually also reach the plate of the consumer.

Although not yet available data on sales of lightweight plastic bags, the Ministry of environment stated that “there was a significant reduction” with the choice of bags thicker that can be reused.

from the examples of what happened in some stores, the Ministry now headed by John Matos Fernandes concerns above 90% breaks.

to Jorge Moreira da Silva, it is “a huge environmental success, unparalleled in other experiments at international level,” as transmits a text published on the social network FaceBook after the disclosure of revenue from the rate in 2015.

“it means, therefore, that the number of bags used per inhabitant per year fell from 466 for two and not 50 as we anticipated, hence the estimate of 40 million euros revenue. This is only one year, the reduction of use was 99% and not 89%, “says the former Social Democratic minister.

The rate received some criticism, particularly on the part of environmentalists, traders and plastic bags manufacturers, calling for information campaigns for consumers and more time to adapt.

environmentalists Quercus state that the measure is positive, but you can not have a behavior analysis consumer for lack of quantified data, the same argument of the Portuguese Association of the Plastics Industry (APIP) for impossbilidade to have the image of the effects of the situation in the companies in this sector.

However, questioned by Lusa , source of CPIA said that for some manufacturers, with specific equipment for light bags, sales breaks reached 40 to 50%, some adapted for the production of other types of bags or staked export.

in Portugal, “consumers do not adhere very light bags with payment of 10 cents, preferring stronger bags that can use more times”, but many stores, as some supermarkets and hypermarkets chains buy in other countries, like China, it said the source of the APIP.