Food packaging and coffee cups to face plastic tax

Disposable coffee cups and takeaway boxes will be hit with a 0.04-euro (plus VAT) environmental tax as of January 1, 2022, the government has said. The money, it said, will be allocated to the Green Fund to finance environmentally friendly projects. The levy, which is part of a broader package of measures aiming to dramatically reduce single-use plastic packaging, was announced by Environment Minister Kostis Hatzidakis during a cabinet meeting yesterday. They will be included in an upcoming bill designed to comply with European Union directives. According to the new measures, businesses such as restaurants, cafes and takeaway outlets will be obliged to provide their customers with reusable packaging. Meanwhile, as of July 2021, municipal sports centers and playgrounds will be legally required to provide drinking water.

The bill, which will soon be submitted to public consultation, will lay out fines for those who fail to comply with the regulations.