Although our country is still behind in terms of European waste requirements, step by step Spain is heading towards meeting the three basics of sustainability: reduce, reuse and recycle. This month, the Congress of Deputies has given final approval to the new Law on Waste and Contaminated Soils that was in the process of approval.

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Two years ago, with the aim of tackling the serious environmental crisis that it has generated, the European Parliament took a step forward to end plastic pollution by asking that, as of 2021, the sale of various disposable products be prohibited. . However, until now Spain had not approved the waste law that contemplates this measure.

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Thus, our country now adopts the regulations imposed by Europe in terms of management and reduction of plastic, despite the fact that Spain, due to poor waste treatment, was already in the crosshairs of Brussels.

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Among the objectives set for 2020, all member countries had to ban certain single-use plastic products and recycle 50 percent of their waste, a figure that increases to 60 percent by 2030 and 65 percent in 2035. But , according to Eurostat data, Spain stayed at 36 percent.

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With the entry into force of the new Law on Waste and Contaminated Soils, two green taxes will be implemented: on the one hand, on single-use plastics and, on the other, it will tax waste deposited in landfills. The goal is to reduce waste generation in our country by 15 percent in 2030 compared to 2010 levels.

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Ban on single-use plastics

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In Spain "50 million beverage containers are sold every day, of which 35 million are not recycled," says Julio Barea, head of Greenpeace's waste campaign. According to this organization, Spain is the fourth country in the European Union with higher demand for plastics.

Regarding the prohibition of various single-use plastics, as of the entry into force of the law, cotton swabs containing plastic, single-use cutlery and plates, straws or beverage containers made of expanded polystyrene may not be marketed. The regulations also prohibit microplastics in cosmetics or cleaning products.

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Goodbye to containers and cigarette butts?

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Along these lines, the regulations also promote bulk sales in supermarkets, forcing supermarkets of more than 400 meters to dedicate, before the end of 2023, at least 20 percent of their establishment to the sale of products without plastic. As a novelty, they also introduce the obligation that those places that sell food and drinks must accept the use of reusable containers.

The new law will also allow municipalities to ban smoking on beaches to avoid the millions of cigarette butts that end up in the ocean each year. "The city councils may regulate the limitations on smoking and intentionally releasing balloons on the beaches, which may be penalized in the municipal ordinances in accordance with the regime of infractions and sanctions of this law."

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