SANTIAGO – The Association of Plastic Industries in Chile has filed a complaint with the Constitutional Court seeking to repeal a law prohibiting the use of plastic bags in the South American country.
“It will be possible to argue against the harmful effects of plastic bags, that is, the process of degradation, not the production. From this point of view, the measure (the absolute prohibition without distinction) is irrational and arbitrary,” said the association.
According to the association, “the ban on bags will have a serious economic impact. Our estimates suggest that more than 2,500 families would be affected by the loss of jobs offered by the industry.”
Chile set to become first American country to ban plastic bags
The Chilean parliament passed a law last month that bans the commercial use of plastic bags. The vote held regarding the law change, which was based on environmental protection concerns, passed with almost unanimous support by all lawmakers.
The law is stipulated to come into force within one year of its enactment, though micro, small and medium-sized businesses have up to two years to stop plastic bag distribution.
In the meantime, businesses are permitted to offer a maximum of two plastic bags to each customer for each purchase they make.
Hoy se aprobó la ley #ChaoBolsasPlásticas. Hemos dado un paso fundamental para un mejor cuidado de Chile y el planeta. Hoy estamos mejor preparados para legarle un mejor país a nuestros hijos, nietos y las generaciones que vendrán. pic.twitter.com/aIpafXb6x0
— Sebastian Piñera (@sebastianpinera) May 30, 2018
According to official studies, the country produces 3.4 billion plastic bags a year.
According to data provided by the Association of Plastic Manufacturers (Asiplas in Spanish), each bag is used for an average of 30 minutes, yet takes approximately 400 years to degrade.
Asiplas also said that Chile uses more than 3.4 billon plastic bags a year, which translates to almost 200 bags per person annually.
Each year 8 million tons of plastic reaches the sea and around 30 percent of plastic packages are not re-used or recycled. This creates a negative impact on coastal areas and harms animals and sea life.
Costa Rica also intends to ban single-use plastics by 2021.
