BELGRADE (Serbia), February 24 (SeeNews) – Serbia's government is considering the introduction of a ban on single-use plastics by the end of the year, environment minister Goran Trivan has said.
"We are negotiating and talking to entities that are interested in this," Trivan said in a video file posted on the YouTube channel of public broadcaster RTS on Saturday.
The government is also preparing the introduction of a deposit refund system for recyclable packaging waste, Trivan said.
On January 1, Serbia's capital Belgrade introduced a ban on the offering of plastic shopping bags by retailers at their stores. According to the decision, the shopping bags that retailers provide to customers at the points of sale should be made of paper or textile.
The EU Parliament approved in March 2019 a law banning single-use plastic items such as plates, cutlery, straws and cotton buds sticks as of 2021. Member states will have to achieve a 90% collection target for plastic bottles by 2029, and plastic bottles will have to contain at least 25% of recycled content by 2025 and 30% by 2030.