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From the middle of the year, there will be no more disposable plastic products on Lithuanian store shelves. In 2019, a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council was adopted on reducing the environmental impact of certain plastic products.
Under the directive, plastic straws, silverware, drink mixers, plates, earplugs, balloon sticks, disposable aerobically clear plastic products, food containers, beverage containers and Styrofoam lids will no longer be marketable as of July 3 of this year.
It took about a month and a half before the directive came into force, but now it would be difficult to find these products in Lithuanian stores.
Some products still contain some plastic.
Retail chain Rimi has given up disposable plastic products in its stores since the beginning of this year. According to Liudvikas Aleliūnas, Head of Social Responsibility at Rimi Baltic, on January 1 this year, no disposable plastic products should have been left in any store.
A representative of Rimi Baltic states that before the beginning of this year, these products were sold out and it was not difficult to find alternatives for buyers.
“Most of the alternatives, at least with us, are paper plus plastic film. That film is unavoidable, where drinks and soups are poured, because the paper will get cold, so the quality of the product itself will no longer make any sense ”, comments L. Aleliūnas on tv3.lt.
L. Aleliūnas asserts that this issue raises problems. There are doubts about how to separate the plastic in these containers from the paper and classify it.
“We communicate with suppliers, we not only want new products, new technologies, but so far this place is stagnant. Even the EU recognizes that there is a problem and convenient alternatives that are also economically available ”, says L. Aleliūnas.
The interlocutor says that those disposable utensils that do not matter that they are waterproof are made without plastic. The retail chain currently offers wooden cutlery, and there are also products made from more sustainable plastics. For example, bioplastics, plastic made from plants.
“But we look at them cautiously. First, we are not sure and we have not heard that our plastic recyclers are willing to accept them. It turns out to be a disposable product anyway. Our goal is that recycling occurs, that the plastic does not pollute, then paper is a much better alternative, because if the paper is classified correctly, it is very easy to recycle and produce more ”, says L. Aleliūnas.
L. Aleliūnas says that prices for products made of plastic or more environmentally friendly materials should not differ for buyers. Retail customers, according to the interviewee, respond positively to innovation.
Rimi Baltic, meanwhile, has taken additional steps to reduce plastic consumption. One of the innovations is the introduction of the so-called zero waste (in Lithuanian – zero waste) assortment. In the two largest Rimi stores in Lithuania, Northern Town and Panorama in Vilnius, islands have appeared, where people can buy various cleaning products, soaps and personal hygiene products in their own packaging.
Another solution from the retail chain is to package Rimi products in as little plastic as possible.
“There is a lot of plastic, we buy and pack Rimi products, salads, prepared food products. As you know, we pack them in plastic. What kind of plastic do we use? With us, all the plastic we buy is easily recyclable, we avoid all kinds of things that are not processed. We check the containers every year to see if we can make them thinner, smaller (do – aut. past.), whether we really need such a large amount of plastic, maybe we can find a paper alternative ”, comments L. Aleliūnas, adding that in all Baltic countries, these solutions should save 37 tons of plastic.
Rimi has set a goal that by 2025 the plastic used in the retail chain’s products would be easily recyclable.
Change everyday life
Retail chain Maxima also says it has been gradually reducing and has not ordered disposable plastic products for some time. Ernesta Dapkienė, director of Maxima’s Communication and Image Department, says that there are currently a minority of disposable plastic products on store shelves.
“There is only a small stock of disposable plastic products for sale, but Maxima stores currently have all the alternatives to disposable plastic products. We offer buyers a selection of tableware, cutlery, straws, ear plugs, etc. disposables made of paper, wood, recyclable plastic and other ecological materials ”. – tv3.lt comments E. Dapkienė.
The retail chain has also set a goal of ensuring that all plastic packaging for Maxima’s own brand products is 100% by 2025. Suitable for recycling. It also aims to reduce plastic consumption by 30%.
We are working hard and implementing various initiatives that contribute to reducing the excessive use of plastics. Today, we offer our customers the opportunity to use cardboard boxes, jute fiber, recycled paper or recyclable plastic bags for their purchases. All plastic shopping bags are recyclable. We are looking at various possibilities to transform as many plastic packaging as possible into ecological, sustainable and non-toxic materials ”, says E. Dapkienė.
The retail network also makes various nature-friendly decisions in everyday life.
“We are also reducing the use of plastic in our daily activities and applying more and more ecological solutions. For example, we are buying new freight containers with silicone tie-down straps, so we refuse to pack disposable film containers, ”says E. Dapkienė
Some disposable plastic items were abandoned a few years ago.
In 2019, the Lidl retail chain in Lithuania recalled disposable plastic products, such as disposable tableware, tools and straws. in summer. According to Lina Skersytė, Lidl Lietuva’s public relations representative, alternatives were offered to buyers.
“Also in the salads and mixes available in the range, we have already replaced the plastic forks with the wooden ones. Currently, the straws that are used for juice packaging are also being replaced, they are being replaced by paper ones instead of plastic ones ”, comments L. Skersytė.
A Lidl spokeswoman says the retail chain has been taking various initiatives to save nature for some time. Several campaigns have been conducted for several years in a row.
“At the end of 2019, Lidl Lietuva presented a plastic reduction campaign“ Thanks to the size of a whale ”. The main objective of this campaign is to remind plastic of the damage caused to nature and to encourage buyers to choose more environmentally friendly alternatives.
At the beginning of 2020, we became the first of the major Lithuanian retail chains to abandon all disposable plastic bags for shopping. We replaced them with natural paper bags that would not cause harm if released into the environment. In this way, we reduce about 90 tons of plastic per year.
We also present reusable bags for fruits, vegetables and bulk products. These bags are recommended as an alternative to disposable plastic bags, which are generally used to make these products, ”says L. Skersytė.
The interlocutor says that the retail chain has reduced the amount of plastic used in Saguaro water bottles.
“1.5 l of Saguaro water bottles now consume almost 18 percent. Less plastic, and for 0.5 l bottles, about 21 percent. Less. Thanks to this decision, we will reduce the amount of plastic consumed each year in more than 47 tons ”, says L. Skersytė.
A spokeswoman for Lidl says that last fall the chain also reduced the packaging of thirteen fresh meat products. Depending on the packaging, the plastic was reduced by 8 percent. up to 47 percent
“As part of the Schwarz Group’s REset Plastic reduction strategy, we plan until 2025. To reduce the amount of plastic packaging by 20% by the end of 2025, we also aim to have all plastic packaging of products from private label by 2025. at the end of the year it would be 100% suitable for recycling “, says L. Skersytė.
Exhausted
The retail chain Iki will no longer sell disposable plastic utensils, tools, straws or cups and cups for drinks starting in 2019. August.
Iki is the first retailer to abandon these types of plastic products. We sell these types of products made with sustainable materials: paper, wood, ”says Vaida Budrienė, Iki’s communications manager.
According to her, sales have not dropped due to the changes that have occurred, and are now similar to those of plastic products.
At present, according to the representative of “Iki”, some goods are still being withdrawn from the trade.
“We are now withdrawing plastic earplugs from the market. We no longer order plastic earplugs, there are little leftovers in stores. At the moment, we are already buying earplugs made from sustainable materials from suppliers.” , says V. Budrienė.
Darius Ryliškis, a representative for Norfa, says that this retail chain is currently selling stocks as well.
“Disposable plastic products are currently on sale, we hardly do new orders. They will be replaced by analogues of wood, paper and sugar cane “, comments D. Ryliškis, – tv3.lt and adds that some substitutes will further disengage customers.
Earlier this year, Mr. Ryliškis told BNS that he is in no rush to give up disposable plastic products, as these are cheaper and more attractive to buyers.
“The proportion is 70 to 80 percent. In favor of plastic, since those products are not cheaper, but sometimes they are cheaper. It serves the environment, but it goes through people’s pockets because the cutlery is made of Fibers other than plastic or paper are much more expensive ”, he explained at the time.
The ban on disposable plastic products in the EU has been in force since 2021. However, in order for companies to adapt to the new conditions, Lithuania has finally decided to implement the EU directive from July this year.
The directive aims to prevent the impact of certain disposable plastic products on the environment, bodies of water and human health. The directive also encourages the transition to a circular economy by developing sustainable business models, products or materials.
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