Italy - Tightening on plastic bags from January 2018
The Law published in August in the Italian Official Journal provides for measures to reduce the use of light (below 50 microns) and ultra-light (under 15 microns) bags, thus incorporating EU Directive no. 2015/720 and amending Directive no. 94/62/EC on packaging. It states that only biodegradable and compostable ultra-light bags (according to UNI EN 13432) may be marketed from Jan. 1, 2018 with a minimum content of renewable raw material that must be certified by accredited bodies.
In any case, these bags may not be distributed free of charge.
Failure to comply with the law may result in the imposition of a financial penalty ranging from € 2,500 and € 25,000. The sanction can be increased up to four times.
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Source: Italian Official Journal