The French government is about to set penalties on non-recycled plastic from next year on. The system will increase the costs of consumer goods with packaging made of non-recycled plastic. Only recycled plastic should be used nationwide by 2025. This is just the first step out of many, including a deposit-refund scheme for plastic bottles. The government also aims to increase taxes on burying trash in landfills while cutting taxes for recycling operations, hoping to address the growing problem of tonnes of plastic finding its way into oceans.
France is among several countries hit recently by a wave of "plastic attacks”. France currently recycles around 25% of its plastic. It has already outlawed single-use plastic bags in supermarkets unless they can be composted, hoping to encourage people to shop with their own bags. When non-recycled plastic will cost more, that will eliminate much of the excessive packaging. Under the new plan, products with recycled plastic packaging could cost up to 10% less.
