Under the new regulation, the fee for thicker plastic bags has been increased from three to five cents.
Although this fee increase may result in an increase in the price of bags in supermarkets, appearing on Boje jutra on Vijesti Television, Ružica Brnović from the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Northern Development pointed out that this is not a necessary cost for consumers, as there are ecological alternatives that can reduce the use of plastic, such as cloth bags and shopping bags.
She emphasized that monitoring has established that Podgorica has recorded a drop of more than 50 percent in plastic bags in waste, and research has shown a reduction in the use of plastic bags of up to 50 percent.
"Over a million euros have been paid into the Eco Fund's account in compensation. The agency has issued around 1.650 decisions, and it is a legal obligation that funds can only be used for educational campaigns and campaigns that will serve education. So, in July this year, the Government adopted a program to reduce the impact and harm of bags, which includes three stages. The budget of that program is 800.000 euros. The first component is non-refundable funds to non-governmental organizations that will work in this direction. The second component is partnership projects and the third component is educational campaigns, and one of the most important campaigns that is already being implemented to a large extent is - Protect so that it protects you," she stated.
When asked why the focus is on banning thinner bags, while a fee is paid for thicker ones, Brnović answers: "A thicker bag does not pollute less, but it is more expensive and will certainly not be used in the same quantity as before. So, although the bag itself is not less harmful, the number of bags used will decrease, because there will be fewer of them in nature, fewer will be purchased, and therefore distributed. This thicker bag is also more durable, which means you can use it more times. We witnessed that until a year ago, these large bags easily burst after just a few minutes of use, from the store to the house and caused great damage when they ended up in places where they should not, creating an ugly image of our country."
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