European government leaders have decided to adopt an EU Plastic tax that will start on 1 January 2021. The purpose of the tax is to encourage reuse of plastic according to the EU. The plastic industry doesn’t believe this.
NL Numbers
Every citizens throws away 30 kg of plastic packaging per year (average). 37 % of that plastic waste is valorised, the rest is incinerated.
Theo Stijnen from Plastics Europe.
“The Netherlands we’ll soon have to pay a plastic tax on twenty kilos of waste. It costs 80 cents per kilo. So 16 euros. For an average family with two children, this is 64 euros”.
Rob Verhagen, sustainability manager at Oerlemans Packaging:
“Consumer and producer will not change their behaviour. It’s just a tax to fill the EU budget deficit.”
Tax Money
The EU tax should generate between 6 to 8 billion euros. EU member states will collect the money and it will go directly to Brussels.
It will cost € 250 million to the NL. In the NL, 512 million kilos of plastic are used annually for packaging, mainly for food. It’ around 26 billion pieces of packaging. More than half of it is collected for recycling. However, most of those packaging are not suited for recycling. Only one third of it will actually be recycled.
Theo Stijnen from Plastics Europe:
“It’s not good. Companies will stop their innovation because of the EU tax.”
Jelmer Vierstra, program manager circular economy Natuur & Milieu
“The industry is exaggerating. They’re doing a drama out of nothing.”
Refs
De plastictaks komt eraan: kost elke Nederlander zo’n 16 euro