Retailers will pay the state two cents more than before for plastic bags thicker than 50 microns, which could make these bags more expensive when sold to citizens. Retailers currently charge 15 cents per piece, while if the price increases, it could be 17 cents.
The change in the fee from three cents to five cents is foreseen in the Draft Regulation on the Fee to be Paid by Sellers of Lightweight Plastic Carrier Bags, which was adopted by the Government. This fee is calculated based on a monthly report on the quantity of bags placed in circulation by the seller.
The sale of plastic bags was partially banned at the end of October last year, through the Waste Management Law, since when citizens can no longer buy lightweight bags with walls between 15 and 50 microns thick in supermarkets and other retail outlets. Bags thinner than 15 microns are free and are most often used in the fruit section of supermarkets, while those thicker than 50 microns are purchased at the checkout.
Since then, the sale of single-use plastics has also been banned, including cotton buds, cutlery, plates, straws, and expanded polystyrene food containers. A government decree was also passed at that time, introducing a three-cent fee that vendors pay to the state for thicker bags, but it will cease to apply when the new one comes into force.
"The amount of the fee paid by the seller of a lightweight plastic carrier bag with a wall thickness of more than 50 microns is 0,05 euros per piece. The fee shall be paid within 15 days from the date of issuance of the decision to a special account of the Environmental Protection Fund. This regulation shall enter into force on the eighth day from the date of its publication in the Official Gazette of Montenegro," the new regulation states.
The sale of plastic bags was partially banned at the end of October last year, when citizens could no longer buy lightweight bags with walls between 15 and 50 microns thick in supermarkets and other retail outlets.
The Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Northern Development previously told "Vijesti" that the sale of bags between November last year and March this year decreased by 50 percent, and that an analysis at the landfill in Podgorica showed that there are now 70 percent fewer bags there.
They also stated in March that the goal of adopting the Law on Waste Management was to create a cleaner and environmentally sustainable Montenegro, that it is in line with the highest European standards, and that it brings a modern, efficient and sustainable framework for waste management. They pointed out that the greatest benefit of these measures is environmental, that the ban has led to a significant reduction in the use of plastic bags, that awareness of the harmfulness of plastic products for the environment has increased, and that citizens are increasingly using cloth bags, paper bags and other environmentally friendly alternatives...
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