On January 1, Italy, Europe’s largest consumer of plastic bags, became the first
European nation to ban the bags. Along with paper and cloth bags, which can be
purchased, only biodegradable plastic bags will be available in Italy. However, retailers are allowed to distribute their
remaining plastic bags until the supply is exhausted.
Although the move was praised by environmentalists
around the world, many Italians fear that their compatriots will not be able to
handle such a drastic change. Until 2009, stores in Italy used 20 billion bags a year, equalling one-fifth of
use in the entire European Union. The Italian environmental group Legambiente
has estimated that each Italian used some 300 plastic bags a year, and that
180,000 tons of oil would be saved if people instead used 10 biodegradable bags
per year.
‘This is a major innovation introduced by the
government, which marks a crucial step forward in the fight against pollution,
making us all more responsible in terms of reuse and recycling,’ said
environment minister Stefania Prestigiacomo, in response to fierce opposition
from industry groups. ‘To get concrete results, you need the full involvement
of traders, both small and large, and citizens, because they will experiment
alternatives to plastic bags,’ she added.
Seeking to do its part in the new, green trend, Florence is participating in the national education campaign,
Porta la sporta; along with distributing cloth bags through the campaign, the
city has plans to involve and better inform the public about the change. For
more information, see www.portalasporta.it.
