The senate of Chile has reportedly passed a bill to ban the use of plastic bags in most retail applications. Online reports name Chile as the first nation in South America to pass such a measure.
According to an online report by Caracas, Venezuela-based Telesur, the late May 2018 bill passed by the Chilean senate mimicked a similar measure that had recently been passed in the southern Chile region of Patagonia.
According to the Telesur report, the ban will be phased in, with small- and medium-sized businesses having until mid-2020 to adhere to the ban while larger retailers will have to do so by the end of 2018.
The report also indicates the nation’s environment ministry has launched a website to help provide information about complying with the new measure.
Figures from the Santiago, Chile-based Association of Plastic Industries (Asipla) indicate Chile uses some 3.4 billion plastic bags each year, or 200 bags per person.
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