The number of lightweight plastic bags purchased across the EU is staggering – nearly 30 billion in 2022 alone. However, their usage rate is declining rapidly. Which countries use the most, and which are the most eco-friendly?
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00:00Will the EU ever get rid of lightweight plastic bags?
00:11Lightweight plastic bags are bags that are less than 50 microns thick and are normally
00:17used to carry small amounts of groceries.
00:21Many member states have introduced measures to curb their use, such as additional charges
00:28or levies.
00:30It seems to be working.
00:32Today, we use 30% fewer plastic bags compared to 2018, but the number we use every year
00:42remains astonishingly high.
00:45In 2022 alone, EU citizens used nearly 30 billion.
00:53Lithuania recorded the highest use per capita, 249, followed by Latvia and the Czech Republic.
01:03With only four bags per capita, Belgium reported the lowest consumption rate, followed by Poland
01:11and Portugal.
01:14Lightweight plastic bags are devastating for the environment.
01:18Not only they can take centuries to decompose, but they also break up into microplastics,
01:25ending up in the human and animal food chain.