Firm ready to supply eco-friendly plastic bags... if tax is waived

A producer of biodegradable plastic bags would supply the local market with his environmentally friendly bags if the eco-tax is waived.

Traplas Ltd director Robert Abela said his company produces biodegradable bags for export, since currently the local market prefers the conventional bags because they are cheaper.

He said his bags, produced according to European standards on biodegradable plastics, cost between 20 and 30 per cent more than conventional ones.

The tax on plastic bags, announced in the last Budget, will start being charged from March 1 in an attempt to reduce the 40 million plastic bags the Maltese use each year.

It does not however differentiate between conventional bags and those produced with degradable and biodegradable material - so the same eco-contribution will have to be paid on both.

Addressing a press briefing on Wednesday, Chris Ciantar, the Rural Affairs Ministry permanent secretary, said there were no standards for degradable and biodegradable bags.

However, yesterday a ministry spokesman admitted that a European standard on biodegradable bags did exist, but no such bags were available on the local market.

Mr Abela pointed out yesterday that his company had invested heavily in technology to manufacture biodegradable plastic carriers after the tax specifically targeting degradable and conventional plastic bags was introduced in 2005.

He said he was not against the eco-contribution on conventional plastic bags but contested the tax on "the most environmentally friendly carrier bag around, even more than a paper bag".

"There is a proper European standard for these types of bags. We abide by this standard and we have certification to prove it," he said.

The EN 13432 standard requires 90 per cent biodegradation within 90 days.

Mr Abela also complained that whoever produces or imports plastic carrier bags will have to print the details of the person registered under the Eco-Contribution Act, the registration number and the batch number of the consignment on each side of bag.

The font size cannot be smaller than two centimetres.

He argued this printing would take up 75 per cent of the space on a normal, A4-sized carrier bag, leaving practically no room for advertising.

"The law is ridiculous because no one will accept to have bags printed for advertising purposes if three-quarters of the space is taken up already. This is going to be an advert for the producers or importers.

Whoever thought of this was only thinking in terms of bags without any print."

He said the new regime did not take into consideration small plastic bags, such as those used by perfumeries, as well as other up-market boutique bags.