Chile bans businesses from using plastic bags

Chile has become the first country in South America to ban the commercial use of plastic bags.

As of August 3, large businesses have six months to phase out the use of plastic bags, while smaller ones will be given two years to adopt the new rules.

The sole exception to the new law involves plastic that constitutes primary packaging “necessary for hygiene or to prevent food wastage,” the Chilean government said.

Those caught breaking the ban will be subject to a US$370 fine.

The law was passed on June 1 but appealed by the Association of Industrial Plastics, whose objections were rejected by the constitutional court.

Chile has been one of the countries leading the way in Latin America against the use of plastic bags – the bags are a problem in this country of 18 million in part because only four per cent of the population has access to recycling.

Latin America has become increasingly aggressive in its actions against plastics. The Caribbean islands of Antigua and Barbuda banned plastic bags in 2016, the same year that Colombia prohibited the use of small bags before also placing a tax on the use of bigger ones a year later. Ecuador has also moved to restrict the use of plastic bags, straws and bottles around the biosphere reserve of the Galapagos Islands, which are a World Heritage Site. Panama was the first country in Central America to announce a complete ban on plastic bags in January, but it has given businesses up to two years to comply to the new directives.

The three biggest cities in Latin America have also taken action, with Mexico City banning the distribution of free bags in 2009, Sao Paulo banning free bags in 2015, and Buenos Aires banning supermarkets from either using or selling such bags in January 2017.