Natural Environment and Waters Secretary General Constantine Aravossis, sent a memo to all state agencies for the abolition of single-use plastics as of February 1, 2021.
Specifically, as provided by law 4736/2020 - the law on the abolition of disposable plastics that was passed in Parliament in October - all public bodies (General Government bodies) have the obligation to stop supplying 10 specific types of single-use plastics, in line with EU directives.
According to the Environment and Energy Ministry, the public administration ban "is the first significant step toward ending the use of disposable plastics in Greece, expected to be fully implemented as of July 3, 2021."
Greece aims to be one of the first countries in the European Union to end the use of single-use plastics.
The February 1 regulation puts an end to purchase orders by state agencies for:
- plastic cutlery (forks, spoons, knives, chopsticks)
- plastic plates
- plastic straws
- plastic drink stirrers
- styrofoam food and drink containers and their lids
- all materials made of non-biodegradable plastic.
The ministry clarified that the above rule does not apply to plastics of state contracts already in process, i.e. prior to February 1.
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