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“We are planning that campaign in the fall, I think in October-November. Now we have to choose the best tactic: whether it should be a silent campaign, publish only its results or a more preventive campaign. We will decide what form it will take,” said Jurgis Kazlauskas, Head of the Waste Management Control Division of the BNS Department.
Rūta Vainienė, head of the Lithuanian Commercial Business Association, says the bags are subject to tax in all major retail chains.
“All of our members charge that fee. Or it does not have such bags (they are replaced by others, such as cloth, paper – BNS). The biggest problem here in the markets is, “said R. Vainienė.
To reduce the use of lightweight plastic bags, all of these bags have been taxed since 2019, with the exception of the thinner clear ones that are used to form lubricated and bulk products.
So far, merchants have not been verified for new order fulfillment. Neither the Ministry of the Environment nor the Department of Environmental Protection receive complaints that these bags should be delivered to buyers free of charge.
Agnė Bagočiutė, Head of the Waste Policy Group of the Ministry of the Environment, told BNS that the Ministry had received only one complaint regarding the bags distributed free of charge, but it was not confirmed.
For the first time, merchants distributing lightweight plastic bags (15 to 50 microns thick) will receive a € 30-60 warning or fine. Fines for infractions are also granted to store managers (100-200 euros) and companies from 1 to 5 thousand. euros
According to the calculations of the Environmental Protection Agency, in 2018, an Lithuanian resident used an average of 322 plastic bags: 53 light (wall thickness of 15-50 microns) used to make the product basket and 269 very light (up to 15 microns) used for non-prepackaged food.
According to the requirements of the European Union (EU), there should currently be no more than 90 light bags per capita per year, and no more than 40 light bags (15-50 micron wall thickness) by the end of 2025 Starting this year, each EU country must provide information on their quantities to the European Commission each year.
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