Full single-use plastic ban from October

Cyprus will impose an outright ban on single-use plastic items such as cups and straws as of 1 October to reduce pollution.

Retailers caught supplying the market with such products are hit with fines up to €4,000 and €20,000 in case large quantities are found on their shelves.

The move results from an EU directive banning single-use plastics in the bloc from July 2021 and adopted into the island’s national law earlier in the year.

The law allows retailers to sell single-use plastic products until 30 September if they had imported them before 3 July 2021.

From 1 October, however, no such products should be sold at shops or handed out at hospitality venues.

The 10 items to be banned in the EU on 3 July and replaced by sustainable alternatives:

1. Cotton bud sticks
2. Cutlery, plates, straws
3. Plates
4. Straws
5. Stirrers and
6. Balloon stick holders
7. Food containers from expanded polystyrene
8. Cups for beverages from expanded polystyrene
9. Beverage containers from expanded polystyrene
10. All products made from biodegradable plastic

Single-use plastic products (SUPs) are extremely harmful to the environment and human health as they are used for a short period before being thrown away.

They are more likely to end up in seas than reusable options, finding their way back to our tables, this time in food.

According to the EU, the 10 most commonly found single-use plastic items on European beaches, alongside fishing gear, represent 70% of all marine litter.