(KPL/Prensa Latina) As of today, eight single-use plastic items will leave Colombia's consumption and production chain, a first step towards banning most of these disposable goods within a few years.

According to statements made by the Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, Susana Muhamad, the measure follows the spirit of Law 2232 of 2022, whose implementation will gradually eliminate the manufacture and commercialization of some of these products used by broad sectors of society.

According to her, the objective of the regulation is that by 2030 all the plastic produced and consumed will be included in a circular economy process, which means that they can be absorbed by the industrial chain and the non-recyclable ones will be eliminated.

At present, he warned, there are one million tons of plastic dumped every year into the environment, especially into bodies of water, and this is one of the issues with the greatest impact on biodiversity worldwide.

He reiterated that as of this day, the first stage of the law will start to be enforced, so mixers and straws for beverages, supports for inflation pumps and those used in flexible cotton-tipped swabs will be taken off the market.

The use of bags for packing, loading, or transporting packages and goods, except those reusable or for industrial use, and to pack newspapers, magazines, advertising, and invoices, as well as in laundries to pack washed clothes, will also be prohibited.

Also included in the list are rolls of empty bags on commercial surfaces for packing, loading, or transporting packages and goods and for carrying food in bulk, except for raw animal products.

KPL