Rejecting an appeal from the plastics industry, Chile’s congress approved a ban on plastic shopping bags. With 95% of their population supporting this decision, the law is expected to be passed with little or no changes.
Chile’s Constitutional Court ratified a bill that bans plastic bags across the country after rejecting an appeal from the plastics industry. Last month, Chile’s Congress unanimously approved the ban in order to protect the environment and especially the ocean . Shortly after, the Santiago-based Association of Industrial Plastics (Asipla) launched a legal challenge to overturn the legislation, saying it was unconstitutional. On Tuesday, the court determined the legislation was in line with the constitution, thereby paving the way for Chile to become the first country in the Americas to prohibit retailers from handing out plastics bags. "We are very pleased with the court’s decision, it was the last stage for the enactment of this law," said environment minister Marcela Cubillos, according to AFP . In a tweet , the Ministry of Environment noted that the court’s green light on the bag ban coincided with International Plastic Bag Free Day, which is observed on July 3. ¡Hoy celebramos! ?? En el Día Internacional Sin Bolsas Plásticas el Tribunal Constitucional ha dado luz verde a la… https://t.co/tBBpRtvoZ8 — Min. Medio Ambiente (@MMAChile) 1530636424.0 Once the bill is enacted by President Sebastian Piñera’s government, businesses will have will have six months to […]
