No More Plastic Straws

Back in 2020, the EU agreed to enact restrictions on single use plastics and last year the Czech government put forth legislation banning specific disposable plastic products that was supposed to take effect July 2021.  There were changes to the bill which meant another 18 months in the parliament before the Senate approved it this past August.

As of yesterday, the law went into effect.  It is now illegal to produce or sale single-use plastic items including straws, cups, plates, cutlery, drink stirrers, plastic sticks used to hold balloons, polystyrene food containers, and cotton swabs made from plastics.  

Items made with plastics now require packaging labels to notify consumers about reusable alternatives.  The labels on wet wipes, filtered cigarettes, sanitary napkins, etc., must now indicate that they contain plastics and must include special instructions for disposal.

The maximum fine is 5 million Kč (~$234K) for breaking the new law. 

Manufacturers of plastic products now require participation in cleanup activities across Czechland.  The government will collect money from manufacturers and within three years, most cities, towns, and villages will get reimbursed for cleaning up plastic litter.

Czechland recycles around 80% of the PET bottles sold in the country which is amongst the highest in the EU.  Under the new law, it will be 90% by 2029.