Fresh fruit and vegetables wrapped in plastic clingwrap or packed in polystyrene or plastic packaging will soon become a thing of the past in Spain as the country gets set to enforce a complete ban on plastic-wrapped fruit and veggies.
The environmental news platform, EcoWatch, reported last week: “Plastic-wrapped produce will be banned in Spain starting in 2023, according to a decree currently being drafted by the Ministry for Ecological Transition.”
A ministry spokesperson told the Spanish news agency, El País: "We want to fight the overuse of packaging in the most effective way."
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He added plastic pollution "had exceeded all limits." The Ministry of Ecological Transition says plastic packaging in Spain generates 1.6 million tons of plastic waste every year, with less than half of that being recycled.
EcoWatch says: “Plastic waste used to wrap fruits and vegetables has been opposed by environmental groups both in Spain and abroad. Spain's move also follows French legislation that banned plastic wrap on fruits and vegetables, which will go into effect in January of 2022.”
Julio Barea of Greenpeace said he agrees with the ban but added that it would be important to see “how it will be applied”. Barea, who refers to plastic pollution as a “pandemic”, says the Spanish government is not moving fast enough “to radically end the flow of plastic pollution. We drink plastic, we eat plastic and we breathe plastic.”
According to El País, the new legislation will also contain measures to encourage the purchase of loose, unpackaged produce and unbottled water. “The ban on fruit and vegetable packaging will apply to produce weighing under 1.5kg, following similar legislation in France.”
One of the main goals of the new legislation is to halve the sale of plastic bottles for drinks by 2030, and for 100% of packaging on the market to be recyclable, sources told El País.
According to the Worldwide Fund for Nature Fund (WWF): “There has been an over 50% increase in processed and packaged food available and consumed in South Africa since 1994.
“In 2017 alone, the South African crisps market increased by 10.4%, adding to the 1 600 tons of plastic packaging waste generated annually in South Africa due to a billion units of crisps, biscuits and chocolates being sold through formal retail markets in the country.”