EU ban on single-use plastics in place from Sept 30

The environment department on Wednesday said that the amendments extending the ban on single-use plastics (SUPs) to September 30 this year have now been transposed into law.

In a written announcement, the department said that the soon-to-be banned products include all single-use items such as cotton buds with plastic stems, plastic cutlery, plates, cups and straws, polystyrene food containers and cups and plastic bags.

It was also pointed out that some products such as wet wipes, pads and tampons, and even tobacco products with filters containing plastic, are included in the scope of the directive.

At the same time, the directive also aims to limit the use of single-use plastic cups and food containers used for takeaways and fast food due to their tendency to become litter, as they are not likely to be used again.

The new law, necessary to harmonise Cyprus with the EU directive on reducing the impact of plastic products on the environment was passed last month, although the EU directive should have been transposed into law by July 2021.

MPs also narrowly approved an amendment for a three-month extension from the initial extension on the implementation date of April 30 until September 30 to allow the sale of single-use plastics and exhaust the stocks, provided their order was placed before July 3, 2021, when all EU member states should have adopted the directive into law.

This was an additional extension to a previous amendment to the bill by the House environment committee which extended the availability of the stock of single-use plastic products to April 30, provided the order was placed on the market before July 3, 2021.