CAPRI’S FINAL STRAW
The Italian island has banned single-use plastic, with huge fines for offenders
The Italian island of Capri has introduced a ban on singleuse plastics as of this month, with fines of up to €500 (R8,000) for those caught breaking the rules. The move is an attempt to curb the high levels of plastic particles found in the water around the island, which have a negative impact on the fauna and flora. Banned items as of May 15 include non-biodegradable plastic bags, single-use plastic plates, cups, straws and
cutlery.
The same legislation was introduced in the Tremiti islands, an archipelago off Italy’s east coast, last year.
Capri’s mayor Giovanni De Martino said, “It’s a big change, but if we are saving the environment I don’t think anyone will complain.”
Shopkeepers, who will no longer be able to sell anything made from single-use plastic, have been given 90 days to get rid of their existing stock.
In 2017, Legambiente, an Italian environmental association, reported that the sea and coast between Capri and mainland Italy contained the largest amount of plastic
residue in the region of Campania.
Nearby destinations will follow Capri’s lead, with plans to ban single-use plastics on the island of Procida and in Naples.
And next year, that list will expand to plastic bottles too, which are one of the largest contributors to plastic pollution.
According to The Telegraph, some 480bn of them were sold globally in 2016 — more than one million per minute.
France has a nationwide ban on singleuse plastic picnicware coming into effect next year.
Greenpeace reports that 90% of the rubbish found in the Mediterranean sea is plastic. The region has one of the highest concentrations of microplastics anywhere in the world.
In March, the European Union also voted to ban single-use plastics made of nonbiodegradable materials, but with a more relaxed deadline of 2021.