Italy plastics tax: latest developments

LONDON (ICIS)–Italy’s €450/tonne tax on virgin plastics due to come into effect on 1 July 2021 has been postponed to January 2022, several sources in the country have said.

Sources in the polystyrene (PS) and recycled polyethylene terephthalate (R-PET) markets told ICIS new draft legislation that was being passed through the Ministry of Economy and Finance last week proposing the new implementation date had now been approved, and the tax will commence at the beginning of next year.

The tax has been postponed several times already.

The tax will apply to all virgin plastics, but not to recycled plastics or compostable bioplastics.

A similar tax in the Spanish market that was proposed to start in July 2021 is now also thought to have been pushed back to later this year or early next, according to R-PET sources in Spain

The UK will introduce a £200/tonne plastics packaging tax on 1 April 2022.

These and other pieces of legislation being discussed across Europe could have a significant impact on the recycling industry across the continent.

Additional reporting by Stephanie Wix

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Thumbnail picture: plastic bottles assembled in New Delhi Railway Station. Source: Sonu Mehta/Hindustan Times/Shutterstock