The Chilean Constitutional Court supported the 'inhibition order' in the commercial sector in a ruling, clearing the way for Chile to become the first 'no plastic' country in South America.
'The decision of the Constitutional Court is very gratifying.' AFP reported on the 4th that the Minister of the Environment of Chile, Marcela Cuvilos, reported that this was the 'final stage' of the 'Prohibition Order' bill.
The Chilean parliament passed a bill banning merchants from using plastic bags on the 1st. The industry group 'Plastic Industry Association' last week appealed to the Constitutional Court, accusing the bill of being unconstitutional. The lawsuit is now rejected by the Constitutional Court.
The bill is waiting for President Sebastian Pinera to sign and become the law. The 'Forbidden Order' gives shops and malls of different sizes a 'transition period' of six months to one year.
Chile is one of the 'banned' leaders in Latin America. In 2014, then President Michelle Bachelet ordered the ban on the use of plastic bags in the southern Patagonia region; last year, the ban extended to coastal areas. area.
According to official Chilean data, Chileans use 3.4 billion plastic bags a year, an average of about 200 per person. These polyethylene plastic bags take 500 years to degrade in the natural environment.
Other countries or cities in Latin America have also launched measures in the past for 'forbidden plastics' in recent years.
Ecuador bans the use of plastic bags, straws and plastic bottles in the World Cultural Heritage and Biosphere Reserves of the Galapagos Islands. Mexico City, Mexico City, banned the free distribution of plastic bags in 2009, the largest city in Brazil, Sao Paulo, in 2015; the capital of Argentina, Bhuj North Ellis has banned the use or sale of plastic bags in supermarkets since January 2017.
'White pollution' easily causes catastrophic environmental impacts in Latin America and the Caribbean. It is one of the regions with the highest level of biodiversity in the world.