InitiativesGovernment Council Adopts Bill on Plastic Bags

Initiatives

03 Jan

Government Council Adopts Bill on Plastic Bags

Rabat – The government council adopted, on Thursday, bill 57.18 amending and supplementing law 77.15 prohibiting the manufacture, import, export, marketing and use of plastic bags, said minister delegate for Relations with Parliament and Civil Society, government spokesman, Mustapha El Khalfi.

Presented by the minister of Industry, Investment, Trade and the Digital Economy, this bill aims to establish a solid and flexible legal arsenal for the disposal of plastic bags, El Khalfi said at a press briefing after the council meeting.

The text contains new definitions (plastic raw material and semi-finished plastic material), in addition to new articles aimed at controlling the manufacturer’s activity by means of a declaration lodged with the ministry of Industry to inform it of the nature of the activity carried out.

Furthermore, the bill introduces new articles that define the tasks of control officers with regard to inspection, seizure, observation, drafting minutes, and grant them new powers.

The bill also includes the restriction of trade in certain plastic bags between the manufacturer, importer and user, enhancement of transparency between those responsible for control and those under control, an extension of the period for recidivism from six months to five years, an increase in some penalties and the introduction of others in addition to depriving offenders of mitigating circumstances.

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