Recently, the Chilean Constitutional Court expressed support for the 'ban on plastics' in the commercial sector in a ruling, making it possible for Chile to become the first 'no plastic' country in South America.
In early July, the Chilean parliament passed a bill banning merchants from using plastic bags. The industry group 'Plastic Industry Association' last week appealed to the Constitutional Court, accusing the bill of being unconstitutional. The lawsuit has now been rejected by the Constitutional Court. The bill is currently awaiting President Pini Pull signed, or will become law. 'Forbidden Order' gives shops and malls of different sizes a 'transition period' of six months to one year.
Chile can be said to be one of the leaders of Latin America's 'no plastic action'. As early as four years ago, the use of plastic bags was banned in the southern Patagonia region of Chile. Last year, the scope of the ban was extended to Coastal areas. At present, the capital city of Santiago is in the 'prohibition transition period', more and more supermarkets have begun to completely replace plastic bags with green shopping bags or paper bags.
Residents of San Diego Carmen: I started shopping with eco-bags last year. I saw the 'no plastics movement' in Las Gons, and I immediately took the family together.
Adrian Enriquez, Head of the Local Corporate Social Responsibility Department: We are gradually implementing the ban in a gradual manner. First, we will announce that the distribution of plastic bags will be reduced. We can only issue up to 3 plastic bags per purchase, and then reduce it. For two, one, for example in the Las Gondes area, now has done zero plastic bags.
According to official Chilean data, Chileans use 3.4 billion plastic bags a year, and each uses an average of about 200. These polyethylene plastic bags may take 500 years to degrade in the natural environment.
Minister of the Environment of Chile Marcela Cuvilos: The problem with plastic bags is that they can only be used for a short time, but degradation takes hundreds of years, and the marine ecology is also destroyed.