On January 1, 2020, cotton swabs, cups, cutlery and disposable plastic plates will be banned in the Principality. This ban comes after those in 2016 of single-use plastic bags and in January 2019 of plastic straws and plastic mixing sticks.
Marie-Pierre Gramaglia, Minister for Infrastructure, the Environment and Town Planning said: “In the Principality, we are resolutely part of an approach which moves to prohibit the use of all single-use plastics. This is obvious in view of the impacts and dangers that plastics represent on the environment, in particular for marine fauna, given that the vast majority of plastic micro-waste is discharged into the sea.”
She added: “Fighting single-use plastics also means reducing the greenhouse gases that are generated by their manufacture, transport and disposal. These concerns, combining biodiversity protection, climate change and improving the quality of life, are at the heart of the policy of the Department.”
Faced with the urgency to act, the Government established, in 2016, a Monaco Waste Prevention and Management Plan, for the implementation of a “Zero plastic waste for single use by 2030” policy.
Major players in bringing about these changes, traders and restaurateurs will benefit from specific support. From 2020, the “Committed Commerce” label will be combined with a “Committed Restaurant” label, which helps restaurateurs find substitutes for prohibited items.
ORIGINAL SOURCE: Monaco Government Press Service ILLUSTRATION: World Bank
