Thursday, May 4, 2017

Plastic Shopping Bags Soon to be Banned by New Law


Plastic Shopping bags will soon be banned in Panama, if a recent bill which just passed the first debate becomes law.

The assembly has approved law 492, during their first debate on the matter, that will ban stores from giving out plastic shopping bags to end users, and promote the use of more eco-friendly alternatives.

This is an attempt to begin to curtail the litter problem, and it is hoped that the new law, if passed, will create awareness of the problem these types of plastic bags cause in the environment, and curb their use nationwide.

According to the President of the Committee on Trade and Economic Affairs, this law should result in a reduction of around 20% once the bill is enacted and enforcement begins.

According to reusethisbag.com, there are currently somewhere between 500 billion to a trillion bags used in the world every year, but many countries are making an effort to ban them or tax their use.

The law was designed to promote the use of re-usable and biodegradable bags, by specifically banning the use of polyethylene bags.

Many other countries already have a ban in place, including France, who as of September 2016 banned the use of plastic plates cups and utensils.

Ireland, in 2002, began charging a 37 cent tax to the consumer for the use of the bags, reducing their numbers by 90% over a ten year period.

According to Greenpeace, “At least 267 different species are known to have suffered from entanglement or ingestion of marine debris including seabirds, turtles, seals, sea lions, whales and fish. The scale of contamination of the marine environment by plastic debris is vast. It is found floating in all the world’s oceans, everywhere from polar regions to the equator.”

The new proposal still needs to pass two more debate sessions to become law.

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