The move follows Croatia’s 2021 Waste Management Law, which prohibited the sale of lightweight plastic bags between 15 and 50 micrometres in thickness. Until now, the thinnest bags, used for fresh produce, were the last to remain exempt from the ban.
In a television appearance on Good Morning Croatia, Sanja Radović, head of the Waste Management Sector at the Ministry of Environment, confirmed that these lightweight plastic bags will soon come with a mandatory charge.
Starting in 2025, retailers will be required to provide designated spaces for the bags where they are used and clearly display their prices. However, customers will no longer be able to purchase them at checkout counters, and the pricing will be left to the discretion of individual stores
Heavier, more durable plastic bags will still be permitted, as they are designed for multiple uses, while thinner bags will continue to be available in specific instances, such as for hygiene reasons in butcheries or markets, where they serve as primary packaging.
The initiative is part of the wider European Union effort to curb plastic waste and minimise environmental harm.
