France to penalize use of non-recycled plastic

As part of pledge to use only recycled plastic nationwide by 2025, France has announced plans to introduce a penalty system next year that would increase the costs of consumer goods with packaging made of non-recycled plastic.

As reported by French news outlets, Brune Poirson, secretary of state for ecological transition, said the move was one of several to be implemented in coming years, including a deposit-refund scheme for plastic bottles.

“Declaring war on plastic is not enough. We need to transform the French economy,” she told the Journal du Dimanche newspaper on Aug. 12.

Under the new plan, products with recycled plastic packaging could cost up to 10 per cent less, Poirson said. “When there’s a choice between two bottles, one made of recycled plastic and the other without, the first will be less expensive,” she said. “When non-recycled plastic will cost more, it will eliminate much of the excessive packaging.”

France – which currently recycles around 25 per cent of its plastic – has already outlawed single-use plastic bags in supermarkets unless they can be composted.

The French government also aims to increase taxes on burying trash in landfills while cutting taxes for recycling operations, hoping to address what it sees as the growing problem of tons of plastic finding its way into oceans.