Monday 2 January 2017

Puerto Rico, Colombia enforce plastic restrictions

Puerto Rico banned the distribution of disposable plastic bags in practically all shops as of 30 December 2016, while Colombia also began enforcing restrictions on bag use it had announced earlier, as the countries moved to curb the pollution caused by its massive, wasteful consumption. In Puerto Rico, the Law to Promote Reusable Bags and Regulate the Use of Plastic Bags would give shops six months to properly adapt and use up their bag stocks, and there were no restrictions on shoppers using bags they had at home, EFE reported. In this period shops would be notified but not fined, for failing to comply. EFE cited the country's trash collection agency ADS as estimating that Puerto Rico had imported 1,700 million plastic bags between 2012 and 2015. Colombia also began enforcing on 30 December its decree on restricting the general distribution of bags, which included a ban on the thinnest bags. This would affect thin bags measuring less than 30 by 30 cm, El Espectador reported.